Transgressions
by Drakaina's Flight
Summary: SS AUish. Link believes everything will be fine now that Demise is dead and Ghirahim is gone; the trouble is that not everyone wants things to stay that way, and worse yet, there's not a whole lot he can do about it. Gift-thing for SeptemberRaven. Rated for violence, language, suggestive things, general ridiculousness.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - Oops, I made a thing. I will keep this note short, but first:**

**Inspiration taken from SeptemberRaven's _Propane Nightmares._ Go read it!**

**Understand the characterization herein is done to the best of my limited ability and is therefore off-base and subject to vague departure from canon and other silliness. Regular updates will probably not be a thing just yet, but I promise to be open about my progress and will figure out a place to keep any readers in the loop; check my profile or my Tumblr (linked to in my profile) for that and more concerning this fic.**

* * *

"Is he going to be alright?"

"Dunno. Salve's running out."

"What do you mean, _running out?"_

"Because we don't have the resources to keep getting more? Every time we go out and haul back another batch is an hour not spent doing something else."

"Oh, sure. I guess the things we need don't just grow on _trees_ or anything."

Karane kneels on the padded floor and wonders if these arguments will ever end. Her fingers are full of sticky gauze, which prevents her from smacking Pipit in the face - but it's probably a good thing too. The last thing they need is for a fight to break out over reduced medical supplies. "You mean _around_ trees. And yeah, it makes for a great antiseptic - " she waves a hand around and nearly bangs it into the table " - but it's not going to last."

There's the sound of a chair scraping across the floor, followed by a _thump._ "They're mushroom spores. The mushrooms down here on the surface are huge. Don't tell me we can't just send some people to collect more."

Air leaves her mouth in a huff, even though she never intended to sigh. She shifts her weight around on her knees and carefully applies the next bandage. "We can't," she mutters after a moment. "I told you that not everyone can just drop everything and fly - "

_CRACK._

She moves aside just in time to avoid being kicked in the face; the crimson loftwing huffs noisily and lowers his foot, not bothered in the slightest by having struck the corner of the table. Karane shakes her head and grips him by the wing. "Sorry, Fen," she whispers, and yanks the bandage taut.

Fenres squawks in pain but goes still, eyeing her closely.

Her fingers fumble for the glue, and Pipit presses it into her hand. "What's up with _him?"_

The cap pops off between her teeth. "Fenres?" she asks around it. "Wanf his master t'take care of 'im." She presses hard on the bandage and applies the glue after, hoping that it will hold.

"Right. Speaking of Link, where'd he go?" Pipit asks.

Karane waves her free hand again, this time in a more exaggerated gesture. "Places." She drops the sealed roll of glue back onto the table and stands up, wincing a little at the protest in her knees. She brushes some imaginary dust off of her pants and then lifts her hands to play with the knot that's holding her hair up, using her foot to close the open drawer of the table that has other medical supplies in it.

"That's descriptive."

She flashes him a smile and flops into the seat next to him; Fenres gingerly flexes his wing and shakes himself out, though he knows better than to pick at the wound. "He doesn't talk much. You know how he gets." A few seconds later, she remembers to reach into her bag and tosses a piece of fruit Fenres' way. The loftwing snatches the treat from the air and crunches on it happily, distracted from the new dressing on his wounds.

Pipit shrugs. "Alright. What happened to his bird, anyway?"

She shakes her head. "Tarsal paralysis. Remember how much blood there was yesterday? We think maybe a scorpion got to him. Something made a huge hole in his underside and filled it up with some sticky… poisonous… stuff. A huge puncture wound, y'know? Only full of venomous glue. He could barely move his legs when Link brought him here. It's good they got here when they did."

Reclining as far as he's able into the hard chair, Pipit gazes up at the high ceiling of the aviary. "We've been here a while, you know. Long enough to learn that scorpions don't live in forests."

"I said _maybe._ Could have been a giant scorpion. Symptoms are kind of familiar," she says.

"Kind of?" he echoes, scuffing the wooden floor with a boot. "What _really_ happened?"

"Oh, that's the fun part. _No one knows,"_ Karane says, rolling her eyes. "You want my best educated guess? Someone went faffing around in the bushes and stirred up something better left alone. Like, I dunno, a deku baba."

"Those aren't poisonous," Pipit reminds her.

"Well, technically they'd be venomous... but they're not that, either," Karane says. "Luck for you I worked on him yesterday, too; got a better look at the wound. It's a good thing that loftwings heal fast, but you know something? Those slices didn't come off of anything around here." She curls her fingers and adds, "Those were claw marks. Deep ones. They were strange, too - something weird and oily gummed up around the edges. Cleaning that was a pain."

"What lives around here that has claws?" Pipit asks, skeptical.

"Nothing that we know of," she says.

"Really?" he wonders aloud.

"Really." She sighs and tilts her chair back, marveling a moment at the view out the window. "Or it could have been something's teeth. Maybe. We just… don't know yet. Link doesn't seem to know either, but then, I could hardly get two words out of him about it."

"So we don't know anything about how Fenres got hurt, and Link took off before anyone could ask," Pipit says. "Sound about right? Doesn't seem like him to go without his loftwing."

The legs of her chair hit the floor with a muffled thump, and she shrugs. "He knows the place, so he'll be alright. Birds can't fly forever. Must've been something good out there to send him off in such a hurry, though. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

"Or something dangerous," he suggests. "Makes you wish he wouldn't take off alone. First his loftwing – what's to stop him getting hurt, now, too?"

"Yeah, you're probably right. Well, no, wait," Karane amends, "you _are_ right. Maybe Link went out there to take care of the thing himself. I don't buy the headmasters' hypothesizing for a minute. I thought we were done with defending the settlement from monsters, but... I guess life down here won't be so different after all."

"Guess not, but I kind of like it," Pipit says. "It's something to do."

"Yeah. Makes you feel right at home," she agrees. "But come on, it's getting late. Want to grab some dinner? I'll go clean up and then we can head out."

"Sure," he says. "Usual place?"

"Yeah, I don't see why not. Unless the graduate students are using it or something." Karane stifles a yawn and rubs at her face with both hands. "Damn, this whole situation's a mess; I guess it's too much to ask for a bit of peace and quiet down here, huh? You think we should save ourselves the trouble and move back up?"

Pipit laughs. "Yeah, and Zelda'd be so happy about that, I bet. We had monsters up there too. We'll learn to deal with the ones down here. They can't be any scarier, not after we chased off those worms in the thunderhead."

"Let's hope so," Karane agrees. "Last thing we need's another Academy infestation of predator-grade insects. Remember when that happened like five years ago? That sucked. I think we should, uh, never do that again. Surface bugs can be just as creepy as all the rest, in my opinion."

"Heck, let's not worry about bugs, let's worry about the things that are bigger than bugs," Pipit says, nodding toward the injured loftwing nosing the floor for lost bits of fruit.

"You got that right," Karane says. "Come on, we should get going – after we eat I want to see what we can dig up about whatever was caked on his feathers. Maybe there's something good we can use on it."

"Right behind you," says Pipit.

* * *

The surface world is different at night.

It's quieter, for one. The little birds don't sing in the trees, and there isn't as much ambience to fill up the empty space. Not that he minds; it's a change of pace, a breath of fresh air in a place that's otherwise crawling with things eager to take a bite out of him, and occasionally manage to. It gives him space to _think._

His fingers trail along the trees as he creeps over the worn pathway that is slowly becoming less and less worn, though still overgrown with vines and moss.

He stops once the lantern's light reveals a dark patch in the grass – an old, dry smear of Fenres' blood. He walks in a slow circle, prodding the grasses with the toe of his boot, hoping something will jump out and impale itself on the blade of his sword.

Link, naturally, finds no such luck.

All the twigs, leaves, and other loose bits are in new resting places by the time he makes his way around the place. It's not very _big,_ either – just a misshapen circle between the trees, a little bloodied and otherwise quite unremarkable. Quite suddenly it occurs to him that he's come all this way for no real reason; in the hands of the other knights of Skyloft, Fenres is surely healing. All he needs to do is fly to new places, not walk to them. At least he won't be getting attacked from below _then;_ the loftwings are still accustomed to flying high, out of the range of petty surface creatures.

The legendary dragons are the only other creatures that could do the same, and he's sure that they wouldn't bother unless they had a reason to. The skies are clear – no underbrush to trample over or vines to slash down. Really, he wonders why he bothered in the first place. There's nothing here other than the barest signs of a scuffle.

Whatever caused it is likely long gone, but he would still like to know _how._

All he remembers is chaos. Fenres' steady walk became a sprint, a burst through the trees and terrified flight. He remembers the wound, too, and the lash of something from underneath – blood splattering over the ground.

Out of curiosity he follows the trail of bird-claw marks and blood with his eyes, and then with his feet. At the time he hadn't had the opportunity to ponder, but since there's nothing still here to explain what happened, he thinks he may as well take a look around. There's no knot of deku baba root tissue on the ground, though he already knew that; they always pop writhing out of the ground long before he gets close, and they die easily.

On and on he walks, the clink-clink of his lantern swinging being the only company he's got. Once or twice he stops to observe the ground more closely, but he always moves on.

He feels like he always does.

Midnight finds him having doubled back to where he started, and he rubs his forehead with the palm of one hand, feeling a headache start to come on. Maybe this _was_ a pointless venture – maybe it was all an accident and it's not something worth investigating. It could be nothing to be repeated. He leans back against the nearest tree and yawns. It's about time he head back to the village and sleep for a good twelve hours, especially since he just keeps doing the same thing over and over, knowing that the results won't be different no matter how hard he looks.

The wind rustles the branches overhead and he stares at the ground a little numbly, looking up only when he acknowledges that he _really_ isn't getting anywhere. He lets out a breath he didn't know he's been holding and pushes off from the trunk of the tree –

_CRRREEE – _

He dives before he knows what he's doing.

It falls behind him, crashing to the ground with alarming speed.

Even as he rolls into a crouch he reaches for his sword, takes a breath, and swings hard as he exhales.

Nothing; the blade snaps through the air and bites into the trunk of the fallen tree. He's forgotten how light his weapon is; he's still used to working with the Master Sword, which was heavier and longer, but so much deadlier for it.

He wishes he hadn't left it behind, even though it was necessary. He frees the smaller sword he carries now and listens hard, anticipating a strike from behind or the side. His weight slides into place as he prepares to shift one way or the other, and he waits.

The blow never comes.

After a very, very long pause, he begins to walk again, but he isn't fool enough to put the sword away. The fingers of his free hand settle near his waist, prepared to draw a potion or something useful for hitting the weak point on _this_ particular monster. He lets his feet cross one before the other to minimize the noise he makes and the tracks he leaves behind, and ever so slowly, he begins to turn so that he can walk back around the fallen tree.

That's the plan, until he falls.

His feet hit the ground at an angle sharply pointing down, and he stumbles forward, his weight slamming into something that gives way easily. Even with the lantern's light hanging at his belt, he can't make anything out. Link hears a shriek of pain that is most certainly not his own, and something slams into his face – small and hard, like a rock or a fist.

What concerns him more than the sting in his cheekbone is the set of footsteps that begin pounding along the dirt. With a start, he realizes that those footsteps are moving _down,_ but he doesn't give it more thought before he rolls to his feet. He's grateful for the fact that his lantern has survived until now, because he's plunged into pitch black by the time he's even taken two strides.

He doesn't know what this hole in the ground is, but he gets the feeling he's about to find out.

* * *

She wakes up feeling a little confused, and more than a little groggy. Zelda squints and peers outside the window, at which point she realizes it's a bit past midnight – the perfect time, actually.

Well, it's not like another sleepless night would kill her. She rolls out of bed, barefoot, and tosses the sheets back into an approximate 'made' position. The stone floor of the new Academy is chilly against her skin, but she finds that she doesn't mind. It's good; it wakes her up and gets her to reach for her hairbrush.

Once all the knots are more or less out of her hair, she yawns and ties it back, slipping out of her room and grabbing her keys. She scoops up a pair of shoes, locks the door, and slips the keys into the pocket of her new pants. If she can't get to sleep, she might as well get to work. Being the headmaster's daughter back on Skyloft was a sort of silly, honorary position – she only lived in the Academy for that reason, but now that they're on the surface, chances are that she'll get into a fight with a monster at some point.

As she walks down the hall, she marvels at how similar the new Academy is to the old one. Sure, it took a few years to build, but everything's almost exactly the way it used to be; there are dim patches of moonlight touching the floor in all the places she'd expect them. It brings a much-needed sense of familiarity to the world, and for a moment she can almost let herself believe that she's a young girl again, flying through the sky with her loftwing. She smiles at the errant memories; she remembers the day she first got her loftwing, and nearly every day since. Things were much simpler back then.

Of course, they're turning out that way even now. Their settling onto the surface was marked by hardly a care of the natives, and she hopes that things will continue that way. Her feelings as a human don't necessarily clash with the memories she has of being a goddess, and she figures that they can befriend the intelligent creatures and keep all the rest at bay. Such thinking is wishful at best, though, and she can never be sure what will happen. For all she knows, things will just _happen,_ as they're bound to do.

This time, though, she thinks she might like to welcome the challenge.

There's a smile on her face as she opens the door to her father's study, and a certain eagerness in her step as she walks over to the bookshelf she frequents. His old library had been a little disorganized, and Zelda has taken the liberty of rearranging his texts based on subject matter and date, if only for her own sake. Her finger skims along the spines of the books until she finds the one she wants, an old volume in good shape – she cracks it open and it falls, seemingly at her will, to the page she'd dog-eared the other night and left off at.

To anyone else, it must seem silly of her to crack open a book like this and read it. Whoever was the original author clearly wrote it second-hand, maybe even third-hand. There's no clear reference material or convincing evidence of the events detailed within, but Zelda remembers them all. It's not her own perspective she needs, though. She needs to figure out the _human_ perspective – and she's human, but not enough to figure out her race all on her own. She needs more windows into the past.

She needs more windows into _her_ past, because there's something valuable there, and she lowers her eyes with every hope of finding it. Even if the book doesn't reveal anything major, there's got to be valuable information in it somewhere, and she reads carefully its account of the sky-people's origin. It feels like she ought to. But even so, she needs to know about the surface world, too – and she skims on, hoping to find a lead.

There are some things that she doesn't remember or hasn't been able to figure out, and regular humans probably wouldn't be able to, either. She has vague memories like half-remembered dreams that trouble her at night, and she knows that humans are hardly the center of this picture that's forming on the surface, but it's hard to pinpoint everything that's going on when she's missing chunks of information. It's like someone dove into her memories and snatched away a miscellaneous fistful.

Sometimes, though, the truth masquerades as a myth, and she's the only one who has a method of separating fact from fiction – and this book, she knows, might kindly give her the information she needs to get to work. Or at least one of the many others like it, all arranged on the shelves. It doesn't matter. One of them will eventually get her what she wants. They'll have to.

Because if Zelda knows one thing, it's that she and her friends and family are sharing a tentative peace with something that has been living here for much, much longer. The last time she was on the surface, she'd been much more concerned with fulfilling her divine duties and running away from demons. Now that she has the extra time, she's gotten better acquainted with the place.

She isn't sure she likes what she's starting to see.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chapter 2 is here slightly ahead of schedule! The dialogue was painful to write and re-write and edit; hopefully not so much so to read. This chapter feels slow and clunky but... then again I say that of the next 4 chapters as well. I'll let you decide.**

* * *

Alone in the sparring hall, she can hear everything. Air whistling over the edge of the practice sword. The _thunk_ of metal striking the practice dummies. Her own breathing, the scraping that her shoes make on the floor.

It's not even very _good_ practice, for swordplay. Without an opponent or at the very least a moving target, she knows that all she's doing is tiring herself out rather than staying up on technique and reaction. The wood and cloth mannequins are a far cry from an actual opponent or an instructor in the room. She practices anyway: lunge, stab, turn, slash, up and block. Rinse, repeat.

Zelda doesn't leave until her arm feels like wood itself, heavy and useless. By the time she puts the sword back on the rack, she knows she's going to be so sore tomorrow. Ever since – well, a while ago – she hasn't had the time or the ability to practice. She yanks a hand through her hair and frees it of the thread pinning it out of the way, and decides to go back to her books. She's always been better at the strategizing part of combat, really, knowing when to run away and how to manage a battle. Getting into the thick of it is impractical with, say, a dress on… not that it isn't worth trying.

Reading all the books to ever exist would pale in comparison to simply getting the experience for herself, but she knows that she can't help anyone if she doesn't know what she's doing first. Her first priority is establishing a safe community for humans and all peaceful inhabitants of this land. She already knows her own people like the back of her hand, so the next order of business is to acquaint herself with this world, and that means knowing how to adequately defend those she cares about. If she and the other Skyloftians are going to live on the surface, they may as well learn how to survive and prosper while they're at it, especially now that they're without their safety net of clouds.

As she leaves the room, intending to walk down the hall and wash up, she thinks about the book she's reading, the colorful history text. Its lofty prose has an almost singular focus on the human experience, but at the same time she can't help but feel that it missed key parts of _other_ stories. There has to have been some sort of event that set it all in motion, or at least the war, anyway. If she can figure out what that catalyst was, she'll have a better chance of preventing another war on the surface from happening. She and Link have both taken steps against that already, but she doesn't think it's possible to be too careful. Things seem to have a way of continually refusing to work out in her or his favor, after all.

The start of the war is painted as the earth simply splitting open on one dark, fateful day, but Zelda wants to know _why._ Unless the surface world is even more unstable than she thought, prone to accidental bursts of misfortune, something – or someone – must have brought the change about. Given how little record there is of anything prior to the war, it could very well have been the demons themselves. Maybe they'd gone undetected by humanity entirely until they'd found a weak point in the earth to exploit, but even to the goddess in her, that feels a little far-fetched. Surely they'd been locked away even then, and had only gotten lucky when they escaped. But then, she always had to ask herself, why hadn't she seen it coming to begin with…?

Such thoughts occupy her mind even as she slips into her room for a change of clothes and heads down to the bath, and later still once she's gotten her shoes back on. Terribly preoccupied with ancient history, she makes a beeline to her father's study again, pausing at the door only to make sure that he isn't in a meeting with anyone. Zelda tests the handle and finds that it turns easily, and she walks straight to the bookshelves.

She regrets not bringing the first war volume with her so that she can compare it to the others, and considers making a dash down the halls to her room to retrieve it.

"Were you looking for this?" asks a voice behind her.

Her eyes fly from the rectangular, empty spaces on the bookshelf to her father, who's walking in. He carries something promising in his hand.

"Oh! Hello, Father," she says quickly, and then asks, "What's that?"

Headmaster Gaepora offers her the book and explains, "I'd noticed you've borrowed the texts on our most ancient history. I thought this one might help you – I've been meaning to give it to you."

Zelda takes the book eagerly, but with care, and flips it open immediately. "Oh, what does it say? Have you had time to read it? Anything about the ancient wars would be most helpful! I know that it seems a little pointless to be chasing after all this information, but… hmm…" Her eyes skip through the first few pages, scanning for any mention of the several keywords she's decided to look for. Things like earthquake, shattering, end, anything at all that might relate to the beginning of the great war between demons and the original surface dwellers. If only she'd thought to ask Impa!

"Well, if it helps your research, I'd dare say it's hardly pointless. But this one, I thought, was interesting because of the names it uses. Once you get past all the common knowledge in the beginning, it makes mention of strange, shadowy creatures – the kalsoel, it calls them – and references them several times throughout," Gaepora says. "However, their fate is never made certain…"

Zelda nods and tucks that idea away for future reference, still wishing that she could have some kind of a _primary_ source to work with, other than herself. These books are the only thing she has, however, and she'll have to work with them if she hopes to get very far. "What else does the book say about them? Anything? Were they some kind of demon, I suppose?"

"Well, according to this book, they were aligned with the demons and sealed away when the goddess and Her servants won the war, but it's hard to be certain from only one account. The others pretend either that they did not exist or that they were mindless, evil beasts of great strength – a sort of rogue entity, fighting on neither side of the war but their own. Whether they're lumped in with the demonic forces or not, however, it's clear enough that they posed a threat to humans," he says. "Their status as it is now is ambiguous, but certainly if we hope to establish a peaceful kingdom, we'll need to keep them in mind. After all, the demons themselves seem intent on staying around."

"Perhaps we should learn a little more about them, if we can, before we plan anything?" she asks. "They do sound dangerous enough, though I think any massive threat is well behind us; Link did save me, after all, and I don't foresee us having any trouble with getting ourselves established here.."

Honestly, she's not sure what he'll think, but they aren't too different. This piece of their story is only a small part. Getting thrown out of the sky by that dark tornado was only the first event in a long series of very important ones, but in terms of time, they didn't last very long. She's spent far more time on Skyloft than here on the surface, and knows that small but comfortable world better than this one. Well, it's not that she doesn't _know_ the surface, but rather that she needs to reassess her view of it. How long has it been since the last time she's _really_ been here, especially now that she's a vulnerable human being? What will happen when she's gone?

"That seems reasonable," he agrees. "It would be foolish to expect an attack when we don't even know what we would be preparing for. I believe we've still some time before that happens, and best of all, here we've access to more resources, especially knowledge, than ever before."

She gathers up the book and decides to go straight to her room and study up on these creatures, whatever they are – or were – and think it all through. In the short term, she knows there's nothing to worry about. With the demon king having been sealed away, and more importantly with Link at her side, Zelda knows that they can keep their settlement safe and thriving. "Right. But if we want to build ourselves up so that no one – not even a horde of demons – can stand in our way, we'd better get to work and not waste a day."

Gaepora smiles. "Now, there's the Zelda _I_ know. Why don't you stop back in a few hours? I'll see if I can't dig up any more information on these things, and I'll ask Eagus how we should shape up our new training schedules for all the new students coming in. How does that sound?"

She can't help but smile back warmly, excited at the challenge of learning all there is to know about this business of starting a new little city from scratch, and sending it well on its way to becoming a place worthy of accolade. "That sounds wonderful."

* * *

At some point the dirt floor becomes cool, hard stone, and his footsteps even out to a brisk walk. He's long lost track of noise he's been following, but he trails a hand along the wall as he walks. Link honestly hadn't expected the hole to open up into this stony cavern, and the uniform nature of the corridors makes him curious as to who built this place. Even if he can't find who he was chasing, surely it's worth it to look around down here.

At the very least, he's sure to find some unusual treasure; that tends to happen when he goes underground. Any subterranean structure would only be built for a reason, and as it's happened in most of his other adventures, it's usually so that he can go crawling through them, never mind how large or tedious they actually are, to retrieve something or other…

With that in mind, he's looking for signs of earth that's been turned and left to settle for a long time, thinking that something might have been buried long ago. Maybe there's a crack in the walls, or a hidden switch that opens a gate, which might lead to somewhere else entirely… It's also possible that he's wasting his time entertaining those thoughts, but he's also certain that whatever or whoever ran inside before him is still down here.

There doesn't seem to be an end to this place, though, no matter how far he walks. The scenery doesn't change a bit, outside of mushroomy growths sprouting from low cracks in the walls, glowing softly blue and lending an eerie sort of ambience to the quiet. He begins to wonder if this is one of the few places untouched by anything but time.

It surprises him, even though it shouldn't, when the dimming light of his lantern falls on a crumpled form in the corner. He doesn't see it at first because it isn't moving, but he stops when he does, and takes a closer look.

Human.

He rushes closer after a short pause and can't believe his luck; without his lantern he never would have noticed. As he approaches, he notices that she's tucked so exactly into a shadowy corner that he would've had to trip over her to notice otherwise. He kneels at her side, finally noticing the slow, steady breathing, and feels a pulse at her neck. Not that he'd _expected_ her to be dead, but finding a lone girl in a place like this worries him. What if she'd run in and gotten hopelessly lost? What had she been doing so far out in the woods anyway, alone and with no one accompanying her from the village?

Gently, Link shakes her by the arm. "Hey. Wake up."

No response.

He shakes her again, and is relieved to see her eyes flick open.

She gives him a blank, groggy stare, but starts to unfold herself and shields her eyes with one hand. "Oh," she mutters, as though not particularly excited to see him. "It's you."

He asks, "What are you doing down here?"

The girl shrugs. One hand goes to her temple and rubs the skin underneath her dark, tangled hair. "Dunno. Lotsa things. Tryin' to get some sleep, maybe?"

The way she says it clearly informs him that she thinks he should leave her alone, but he notes her tattered clothing and the bruises showing on her skin and shakes his head. "There are better places to sleep than this. Why didn't you come back to the settlement when it started getting dark?"

"There are?" she asks, sarcastic. "And uh… it's kinda hard to 'go back' to a place I ain't been to. Seen your village, though." She yawns wide enough that her jaw pops. "Nice enough place, I guess. Hope everyone there ain't as uncoordinated as you."

Ignoring the insult, he insists, "Don't play dumb. Your parents are probably worried about you. Why'd you run off?"

She regards him with gray eyes as dark as the shadows underneath them, although they're hard to see because she's still squinting at the light from him lantern. "Yeah, uh, I don't think we actually know each other. Or at least, you dunno me. I'm not from your settlement, so I couldn't have run off from it, and I'm not playing dumb about anything. At least not that I know of. My parents are dead, and even if they weren't, I doubt they'd be worried about me."

Link is silent for a long moment as he tries to piece this girl's story together, and nothing fits. "Look," he starts, as she lowers her hand from her face.

She holds up her hands, palms forward. He notices a set of identical black bracelets that she's wearing, but he doesn't have time to comment before she says, "Yeah, yeah, I know the goddess what's her face sent all you humans up into the sky on a rock or some shit. I'm not, like, a historian or anything, but I think I can help ya out here – I'm not with you n' your friends. I don't know you and never did. Like I said."

His mouth closes as he tries to think of a response, but it doesn't take long. "But you're definitely human," he insists. "Although I can't say I recognize you…"

She shakes her head. "I'd hope not, yeah? Maybe ya don't believe me, or don't trust me if ya do, but look... See these?" She holds up her hands again so that he can see the bracelets. "Ya probably already guessed, but these manacles? I'm kinda a little bit fucked so long as they're on. 'Sides, I don't have the energy to do much, so don't worry about getting into a fight or something just yet."

Keeping to himself the fact that he would not have actually guessed that, Link gives the items in question a puzzled glance. "So what are you saying?"

She huffs, and he can't tell if that means she's offended or what. Offhand, he notices that the pallor in her skin is a bit pronounced, although he's sure it's just the oily light of the lantern. "I'm saying that while these things are blocking off my power, I can't really threaten ya much. Even if I didn't have 'em on? I'm tired as shit, and sleep-dep makes for some shitty fighting, yeah? So if you're thinking I'm a… a demon or whatever, cool it. Couldn't hurt ya if I wanted, like I said."

"_Do_ you want to?" he asks, not expecting her to give an honest answer.

"What're you talking about?" she asks back, chuckling a little. "I already did."

"Huh?"

The girl curls her left hand into a fist before letting it drop into her lap. "You slammed into me with the weight of all that shit you're carrying around, so I punched you in the face. Fair's fair." Before he can ask how that's fair, she opens the same hand and extends it toward him. "Aaanyway. Name's Cherisn. But you can just call me Cher, if y'want. It ain't a big deal."

He reaches out to shake her hand. "Link. I, uh… well, you said you already know me… how much _do_ you know?"

Cherisn shrugs. "Oh, not much. You like wearing green. Carry a sword around, kill monsters with it. Sweet on the girl with the golden hair. Far as I can tell you're handy in a fight," she says. "Real handy. Otherwise though – and hey, I mean, don't go taking this the wrong way… but sometimes I think you can be a bit clueless, yanno?"

"Right," he says. "You haven't been spying on me, have you?"

"What, ya didn't notice that everyone in your little town's obsessed with you?" she asks with a slight, playful grin. "Callin' you the goddess' hero and all that? Come on. It wasn't hard to miss, and I don't even really make a point of hangin' around the place."

He smiles halfway despite himself. "Alright, I'll give you that. But come on – a cave's not really a place to have a conversation, is it? If you want to head back with me, I'll figure out a place for you to stay. You don't seem to be doing so well."

She doesn't take his outstretched hand, instead bouncing up and following him back the way he'd come. "You will? Awful nice of ya."

He shrugs. "Well, you haven't really _done_ anything to hurt me, so I don't see why not."

Cherisn giggles. "That's a terrible reason to help someone… but hey, it's not like I ain't grateful. If you hadn't come along, I'd be worse off, I guess. Think your folks will want me around?"

"You yourself said you're not dangerous, and I believe you," he says. "If only because you're walking slowly and you're very tired."

"Hey, I'd _bolt_ outta here if ya wanted me to, but your lantern's kinda killing my eyesight. But I guess you must need it to see, huh?" she asks.

"Unfortunately. What, can't _you_ see?" he asks. "Or have you been living underground your whole life?"

"Me? Nah. I just came here to get away from you… and sleep. Didn't figure you'd find the hole, the way you were stumbling around after that tree fell. But ya did, so… I hope that answers your question," she says.

"Oh," he mutters for lack of a better response. "So… what's the deal with those manacles you mentioned? I'm guessing you didn't cut the tree down, either."

"Nahhh. Are you kiddin'? The thing was rotted through long before you got there. Guess it just chose a bad time to snap in half. But the manacles? They just block my power, like I said. I don't really _like_ being stuck in between, because being trapped all helpless like this is... like being the weakest thing imaginable. Well," Cherisn amends quickly, "unless you're handy with a weapon. I'm not, though. Wish I wouldn't have gone so far down in here the other day. That's how I ended up with these things on."

"What do you mean by being stuck in between?" he asks out of polite curiosity. "I'm afraid I don't follow."

She shakes her head. "Oh, hell, it'd be easier to just _show_ you, since I don't really plan on _keeping_ these things on. But that's kinda hard right now, so it'll have to wait."

"You don't have any relatives who could figure it out?" he asks, although he doesn't know how that suggestion could help.

"Nah. Told ya my parents are dead."

Not knowing what else to say, he says, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"S'alright," she assures him, oddly cheerful. "Never really even knew the assholes anyway. Don't care."

A wandering thought strikes him. "I guess you must have a plan if you're that confident about your situation, huh?"

"I doubt any ol' human could get these off anyway," she agrees. "Got someone in mind I'll go bug to get 'em off. Figure he'll do it."

He smiles, though he neglects to mention that his best friend happens to have a bit of knowledge on the subject they're likely heading towards. Still, he can't deny that he'd like to know what she's talking about again. "Oh, really? Who's that?"

"Ghirahim."


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh, is this update a day late? I plead "I had company and we played _Twilight Princess_ into the morning hours because it was fun" as my excuse. I would also be very grateful if anyone could point out any mistakes or out-of-place seeming lines of dialogue - though of course, don't feel obligated. Have a nice day, friends!**

* * *

If Cherisn has any outward reaction whatsoever to finding a sword pointed at her throat, Link can't see it. Her eyes flicker toward his quickly moving arm, but once she sees him start to draw the blade, she just stands there. The tip quivers against her collarbone for a moment before moving up and hovering a couple inches from her neck.

"Sorry, what?" he asks.

She glances – deliberately – from the sword, to him, back to the sword, and back to him again. "I said, 'Ghirahim.' 'Case ya didn't hear." She looks almost _bored;_ her posture's still but loose and there's no hint of concern in her face.

Suddenly he realizes he can't figure out whether or not she knows what she's talking about. "How do you know that name?"

"How can anyone _not?"_ she asks back. "I never met him personal but it's hard to find anyone down here – not recently settled anyway – who's never at least _heard_ of him."

Their brief staring contest continues for a moment, but he doesn't lower his arm at the end of it. "I'd be careful if I were you."

He almost can't believe it, but Link is certain that there's a smile twitching at the edge of her lip; there's a spark of sudden understanding in her eyes and she relaxes a little more, seeming to have realized something. "Come _on,"_ she says. "Me n' you _both_ know that's not really a threat."

"And what if it is?" he asks quietly, standing just as still as she is.

Cherisn smirks and leans on the wall, seemingly oblivious now to his weapon, her amusement growing more profound. "Probably ya don't like the guy. Maybe you think I'm in cahoots with 'im. Maybe ya don't. Important thing is, you don't _really_ want to kill me."

He narrows his eyes. "We just met and you're trying to tell me I don't really want to do the thing I'm implying I'm about to do."

She throws her hands up in a much exaggerated shrug and almost nicks her hand on the metal. "Ha, _just_ met…" she chuckles to herself, very quietly – then continues aloud, "I'm _serious!_ Ya wouldn't slice a damned _butterfly_ if it weren't already clear the thing's trying to kill you. Ya think it's possible to scare me and get me to back down and explain m'self. And I'm tellin' ya, sure it is – but that ain't what you're _doing._ Maybe you'd incapacitate me at most, but remember, _that's already happened,_ and anyway, ya don't seem like the type to make good on threats to begin with."

His lip curls, but he lowers the sword and starts to walk again. "Do you even know him?" he demands. "He'd never help _you!_ I've fought him before, and you – what do _you_ know? _You're_ the one walking into a death trap, kid."

"Haha, _told_ ya," she says, sounding pleased at having struck a nerve. Then, as she catches up with him, she adds, "Hey, I ain't sayin' I know ya inside n' out. All's I'm saying is, I seen you take up all the little forest creatures n' stitch them up and give 'em food and shit when they needed it. They know you n' like you. Probably all your folks back in that village do too! I'm not _stupid._ Hell, yours'd even make a good lounge if it weren't so awfully unprotected. I'll give ya an E for effort on that."

He slows his pace and shakes his head, not sure yet how to react. "You sure talk a lot."

"Am I _wrong?"_ she insists.

He sighs. "No. But look, if you're really going to try and find Ghirahim and bring him back or something, you should know that I'll fight to stop you." He doesn't need to know how, exactly, she intends to do that in order to grasp that he probably shouldn't encourage it.

"Hey, I wouldn't be if I had another option!" she tells him. "But these things don't come off so easy, and I _need _them off. Do I look like I got another choice?"

Link bites his lip and decides to swallow his sense of distrust – what had Zelda always said about giving people a chance…? Not that it was the smartest idea, but it wasn't the most imprudent either. Finally, he sighs. "Yes, you do," he says, and waves her forward.

She snorts in disbelief before he can go on. "Oh, yeah? What's that? Sit around and starve to death so as not to inconvenience you and your village? I ain't _that_ selfless."

"Let me finish," he says, trying to keep his voice level. "If you'll come back to the village with me, I'll make arrangements for you to stay. So long as you don't mind a few of my friends keeping an eye on you, we'll see what we can do about getting those manacles off. Then you won't have to worry about asking anyone else." Of course he can't guarantee that the plan will _work,_ but at least it's something; he'll have to tell Zelda anyway, since she was always the only one who was ever much good at anything magicky. She'll know what to do, if anyone does; she's always been the best out of anyone at making things work when they aren't supposed to.

"Alright, sure," she relents. "But hey, if this don't work – just lettin' ya know, I'm fallin' back on the plan I had in the first place."

He shakes his head, but finds himself relieved at how quickly she's latched on to the proposal. "You'd be an idiot to. You know he'll kill you."

"How do _you_ know?" she asks, skeptical.

"Because I've _fought_ – "

"Yeah, yeah, crossed blades with the fucker, n' all that fancy poetic shit. Just because he'd like to kill you doesn't mean he'd like to kill _everyone,"_ Cherisn says. "And even if he does? Hey, I ain't got nothin' much to lose."

He is momentarily at a loss for words. "Cherisn?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and let me think for a minute, okay?"

Muffled laughter. "He's probably gonna be out for your blood when he wakes up anyway. Might as well get used to the idea, yeah?"

He clenches his jaw for a moment to prevent himself from saying something stupid or embarrassing. _"When_ he wakes up? Are you telling me – "

"Ya know all demons are bound to come back _some_ time, right?" she asks. "They ain't gonna stay down forever 'cause the small ones pop up naturally and eventually they make way for all the rest. Nothing really gets rid of 'em _forever…_ 'Specially not _him._ What'd ya _do,_ sleep through all your history lessons? I'd figured you all woulda up and done something by now, it's been long enough anyway."

Link huffs irritably. "Are you saying that because you actually know things, or just to piss me off?"

"Bit of both. Figured you wouldn't retract the offer knowin' what the alternative was," she informs him, pleasantly. "I get you don't like the possibility. Guess it wouldn't hurt to admit that in terms of being friendly to ya, I'm doin' a bit of a bang-up job."

He tries mentally counting to five in order to calm himself a little. "Yeah. You could say that again. By the way, that punch really hurt."

"Heh. Wonderful."

"So just out of curiosity…" If only for the time being, she's not outright antagonizing him, so he may as well pounce on whatever opportunities he gets.

"Yeah?"

He turns to look at her and asks, "What exactly are you planning to do once those things are off?"

"Oh, I dunno. Probably go right back to doin' what I've been doin'. Which ain't much. Gonna help whoever helps me get these things off. Fair's fair. Pay back the debt and all."

Again he finds himself wondering about what she means by that. "So if I help you, you'll help me."

"Sure."

He doesn't like to think about what he says next, but he says it anyway. "And if Ghirahim helps you, you'll side with him."

"Well, yeah."

He shakes his head and heaves another sigh for good measure. "And you realize that he isn't going to do that. Right?"

"I don't think ya got hold of the whole picture," she says. "So _you_ tell _me_ somethin'. How ya think it'll play out if I _do_ get him to come back?"

Link grimaces. "Let's see. Even _if_ he helps you, he won't exactly be nice about it."

She actually giggles. "Last I checked that ain't necessarily gonna be a _problem_ or anything. You're forgettin' something - "

"You're right," he mumbles. "About me anyway – I wouldn't just let you go. If I were there you'd have a chance to survive."

There's a pause. "God_damn,_ kiddo, you are _dense._ What makes ya think I need savin' for? I done just fine on my own till now. Ain't that idea crossed your mind?"

He focuses on walking; this isn't the argument he wants to get into, not tonight. "Don't think I'm _that_ stupid, Cherisn. You may have survived until now, whatever you're up to – but have you ever fought a demon? Have you ever fought _anything_ with a little intelligence?"

"Yeah."

"Liar," he scoffs.

She insists, "Shit, you really think I'm a helpless kid? I'd have _died_ the day I – "

"Look, whether or not you can hold your own in battle – and looking at your present state, I _know_ you can't, you need to realize – " he starts.

"_Hey!"_ she cuts in. "I just _told_ ya 'bout ten minutes ago that once I get these things off I'll be _fine._ I have – I'm not like you, I dunno how to handle a sword or anything, but I can – "

He sharply raises one had to cut her off. "I don't want to argue with you," he says quietly, "so can we just agree that for now, you _do_ need my help?"

"I need _someone's_ help. Ain't gotta be yours," she huffs. "But fine. You don't believe me, ain't anything I can do to convince ya yet."

A moment later, he says, "I'm sorry for getting short with you. I don't want you to get hurt, but that's no excuse." The apology is almost perfunctory, but sincere enough that hearing it from his own mouth doesn't make him cringe.

When he glances back, she's sighing and running a hand through her short black hair, haloed in the bluish light of the glow-mushrooms. It's one of the few things he can make out with much distinction. "S'alright. I just… got a lot to lose is all."

"Would it be so bad if you _couldn't_ get those off?" he asks, trying to sound curious rather than callous. "I don't mean any offense, but I'm just thinking… you could come live with us, if you'd like. I know it's not really a fair deal, but it would be something."

"Right. And I could burn the place to the ground while ya sleep," she says. "You're too – "

He shrugs. "Trusting? Yeah. But I don't think it's misplaced."

Cherisn frowns. "Ya sure?"

"Well, you don't seem interested in that so much as getting a little help, and you did say you'd repay the favor…" he points out, refraining from making the obvious statement that she's trusting enough, herself.

"We'll get them off, I promise," he says, despite knowing that he's not sure if he can actually promise that.

She laughs. "Who's we?"

Link says, "You'll see."

"Ah."

The rest of their walk is spent in relative silence; once or twice he almost forgets that she's following along behind him. Her features are too obscured for him to make out anything notable, partly because of the shadows and partly because she's turned away from him somewhat. The cloth of her clothing is an unfamiliar make, though, and she's a bit short for someone who looks to be about his age – not that either is immediate cause for concern.

He decides this is definitely more Zelda's field of expertise.

* * *

The time flies in a way that Karane doesn't really expect, and she's not sure what's changed: her or her surroundings. Based on the slight chaos the Academy has become, she guesses it's the latter; her clothes are still wrinkled from when she rolled out of bed, having slept in yesterday's outfit. Breakfast was an hour ago but she still can't wake up – probably because she was up till midnight partying, but no one needs to know that.

What _does_ wake her up is the sight of Pipit rushing through the hall, and although she calls his name, he bounds right out of sight. "Hey, _Pipit!"_ she yells again. All she hears are his footsteps pounding away at the floor, so naturally, she dashes after him. Either he really didn't hear her, or something's up; her heart constricts as she realizes it might be that Fenres' condition has gotten worse, somehow.

A few seconds later, she finds him at the open door to Zelda's room. As Karane slows down to approach, Zelda herself flies down the hallway – she's quickly left alone with Pipit, and feels utterly confused. "So, uh… what's up with _her?"_ she asks.

Pipit shrugs, looking just as bewildered. "Link's back, but it took him long enough. Waved me over and said that I had to get Zelda, so I figured it was important. He had some kid with him, I don't know who – not one of the students, but I guess he needed Zelda to sort it out."

Karane rolls that information around in her mind for a little while, and despite her racing thoughts, she can't make any connections with it. _"Huh._ Maybe it was the same girl as the one on Skyloft who went missing? Don't know why she wandered off again."

He shakes his head. "Nah, I didn't recognize her. Don't know how he thinks Zelda can help, though."

"Pipit," she starts disapprovingly, folding her arms across her chest.

He holds up his hands. "I didn't mean it like that! I just meant, you know, she's still got some things to learn about all this… Oh, come on, we all do!"

"Well, at least you didn't say it to her face," Karane remarks, shaking her head. "Sure you don't know who she was? There's not all that many of us. Was she one of the new students here or something?"

"No," he answers. "I don't think so. Her clothes were even different than ours. I don't know, she just looked kind of… weird. Didn't say much. Link did the talking, not that there was much of it."

"Well, _that_ doesn't make sense. Wanna go check it out?" she asks. "We could do something useful for a change."

"What?" he asks, surprised. "Are you sure? I'd hate to get in the way."

"Come on," she says. "I feel like we can help, or at least try. The way Zelda took off, it looks like she was headed down to the… kitchen, I guess? Lunch hour isn't until later. We just had breakfast."

Pipit hesitates.

"Look, I don't want this all to be a repeat of last time," Karane explains, "with Link doing all the work and all of us sitting in the cushy chairs twiddling our thumbs, waiting for him to get back. Let's see if we can't get some more info first. _I_ want in on the action this time, too."

"Are you suggesting we _spy_ on them?" Pipit asks.

"No," Karane says with a very straight face. "We're confused, and we need to figure out what's going on so that we can tell the headmasters, or at least help them out. If there's a problem in our Academy, the men in charge need to know about it. Link or Zelda can give us some kind of message to send to them, and anyway, we still need to tend to Link's loftwing. We have stuff to _do,_ Pipit. Let's move."

"Wait." His hand catches her shoulder as she starts to walk. "You go down and talk to them if you want. I'll go back and see about patching up his bird."

She smiles. "Hey, that's more like it. I'll let you know what's up. Let's see… I don't know how long you'll take, or me, for that matter. Talk at lunch?" All she can hope is that they'll like what they find.

* * *

"You. _Eat."_

_CLANK._

A plate so full of food that Link half-expects it to break is set – or dropped, courtesy of Zelda, directly in front of Cherisn and onto the table.

Cherisn looks at it, picks up the fork next to it and then looks at Zelda, who snaps the windows shut and draws the blinds over them. "Um… how did you – "

"No time!" Zelda shouts over her shoulder as she runs from the room. "Back in two! Link if anyone comes tell them to see me!"

That last part is yelled without pause, and Link reaches over to re-open the blinds a crack.

Cherisn blinks and stares for a moment in the direction Zelda ran before shrugging and doing as she'd asked.

Karane peeks her head around the corner of the doorway about a minute later. "Uh… I miss something?" she asks. When Link waves her in, she takes a seat, not seeming to notice Cherisn at first. "I just thought I'd… y'know, check in. Pipit's still taking care of Fenres, so you know."

"Right. Thanks," Link says.

"Who's Fenres?" Cherisn asks mid-bite, unapologetically.

"My loftwing. He was injured the other day while we were walking through the forest, by some kind of animal," Link explains. "One with claws or something. I'll have to hunt it down when he gets better, I guess. Don't want that to happen to anyone else; it was pretty nasty."

"What's a… oh, those huge birds we walked past?" Cherisn asks.

"Yeah." Link turns to Karane with an apologetic smile. "Hey, Karane. This is Cherisn – Cherisn, this is Karane."

Cherisn turns to wave briefly. "'Sup."

Karane looks between the two of them and blinks. "So all that commotion…?"

"My fault, sorry," Cherisn says, not sounding terribly apologetic, just before shoving the last half of a piece of toast into her mouth.

"Zelda seems to know a lot more than I do, so she'll probably fill you in," Link explains, glancing toward the doorway she'd gone through. What was he going to say? He found Cherisn sleeping in a ditch in the ground and let her tag along back here?

"Give your bird tree sap," Cherisn tells him.

"We've been giving him spores," Karane says. "Pipit and I. We've been looking after him; it's the best medicine for loftwings."

"It work?" Cherisn asks.

"Sort of," Karane sighs. "The wound's getting better but he still seems sick. All we can do is keep trying."

"Oh. Spores are good I guess but you'll need the sap too," Cherisn says, stabbing a chunk of fruit with her fork and thus cleaning her plate. "Don't mix 'em either 'cause that's kinda a bad idea."

"Did you see him when you came in?" Karane asks.

"Oh… yeah," Cherisn says, taking another bite.

"Uh… sure, guess we can try it," says Karane, bewildered but willing. "Can't hurt."

Zelda runs back in, frowns at the window blinds, and dumps a stack of books onto the table before she snaps them closed again. She glances at Cherisn and, noting the empty plate, says, "Good. When you leave, take a left and follow the hall all the way down. Grab the third room, I put you some clothes in. Door's unlocked, key's on the table."

Karane clears her throat somewhat nervously. "Hey, Zelda?"

Zelda nods and doesn't look up. "Karane."

Karane shuffles her feet. "What's going on?"

"Trying to help her," Zelda manages before she begins flipping through one book. "Oh, Cherisn – by the way. That wasn't a request."

Cherisn, for her part, is rather unsurprised by Zelda's snappish tone. She smiles. "Thanks for trying to give me more time."

Zelda gives her a steely stare. "Go."

On her way out, Cherisn slides her dishes into the sink, and her bare feet hardly make a sound on the hardwood floor as she leaves the room.

Link shares a glance with his fellow student and asks, "Zelda, I think we both need some information." While Karane takes a seat next to him, he folds his arms and waits.

Zelda's eyes never break contact with the page, but she does finally sigh. "Those… those _bracelets_ – I need to find a… hmmmph… Karane, here's what's up - she's starving to death and she's going to keep starving the longer those bracelets are on. One way or another, they have to come off," Zelda explains. "And it'd be really nice if we end up being the ones who can manage it for her."

"But she just ate," Karane says. "Won't she be alright?"

Zelda sighs. "No… I hate to say this, but it doesn't work that way. _She_ doesn't work that way, actually. Cherisn is…" she searches for the right word, and really doesn't want to say 'demon' even though that's more or less correct. She settles on, "She's a bit different from us, that's all." Being a surface-dweller, she'd have to be, so it makes a good enough lie.

"Not that I want her to suffer, but why do you care so much?" Karane asks, her brow furrowed. "I mean, of course I want her to be alright, but… this seems like almost a snap judgment or something."

"I know," Zelda says, keeping her eyes down, and tries to find some strand of underlying logic that will make her intuitions sound at least a _little_ more appealing. Telling the full truth definitely won't earn her any favors. "I know. She doesn't seem like she necessarily wants to back us up either, and we're definitely playing with a wild card here, I guess, if you want to call her that. I just need to convince her, but first I have to figure out how I can help. Link filled me in on the way here, but there's not much to tell. Just… trust me on this, alright?"

She says that as though she hasn't deliberately and perhaps unwisely sent anyone into the thick of a swarm of battle-ready demons before, easy as moving a playing piece in a board game. She glosses over that fact with a forced smile.

"Sure," Karane says readily enough. "Well, I guess I should go see what Pipit's up to. I'll be in the aviary if you guys need me for anything."

"Of course," Zelda says distractedly, and waits until Karane is gone to push back from the table with a loud sigh. "This is… I don't like this," she admits eventually. "Any of it." She turns to face Link when he puts a hand on her shoulder and smiles weakly. "But we'll get through it, right, hero?"

He tightens his grip a little and isn't sure what to say. "I didn't want to say this around the others, but… just so you know, Cherisn told me that if we can't help her out, she'd wake up Ghirahim. _How,_ I have no idea, but I thought you should know."

Humming to herself for a moment, Zelda sinks into her chair again and slumps against the back of it. "One more reason to get to the bottom of this, right?" she asks.

"Is there anything else we can do?" he asks.

Zelda picks at a crack in the wooden table and doesn't answer at first. "There's something I can do, yeah," she admits slowly, not sure whether Link will like her ideas or not. "I – I mean, it's worth a try at least," she stammers, not sure how to explain. "Your old sword would do the trick in a heartbeat, but we don't have it anymore, so I'll… talk to her and see what we can come up with."

"Like what?" Link asks, frowning.

Better to just come out with it now, Zelda thinks, than spring any more nasty surprises on anyone. "I _think_ we might have to do it her way. I… I think she knows what she's doing and it's probably the smartest thing we _can_ do."

Link is quiet for longer than what would make her comfortable.

"But I'll look into other options, I swear," she promises quickly. "I don't – I'm not just going to rush into this. I just need to figure out a little more, get us a little closer… Whatever I decide, I'll let you know first." She bites her lip; that's not the first lie she's ever told.


	4. Chapter 4

**Posting this chapter a bit early because I may not have internet access for the rest of the weekend.**

* * *

Link walks into the small grove of trees near the goddess' statue and takes a seat on the roots of one of them, which have grown and twisted in a rough approximation of a bench shape. Little birds flit and twitter overhead, and the breeze is playful on the sun-stained leaves – it's the kind of scenery that, for a moment, gives him a sense of peaceful isolation.

He can't expect to remain alone for long, naturally. There's a loud _THUNK_ that brings his head and eyes up without him knowing it, and he sees something sitting at the base of a nearby tree, dripping.

Cherisn's hand drops to scoop it up, and he notices that she's hanging upside down in the tree, by her knees. The thing she's holding is gray and scaly, and it's vaguely pear-shaped. She takes it and somehow manages to bend upward far enough to get a grip on a nearby hunk of wood, using it to yank herself back into a sitting position. "Hey." She nods to him without looking at him.

He watches for a moment as her hands swiftly peel the fruit's skin away, revealing a purplish core full of what looks like stringy pulp. "What are you doing?" he asks finally.

"Eating?" she says, the tone of her voice pushing a 'duh' quality into the word. The clothes she's borrowed from Zelda are thin yet baggy on her frame – colored a clear, bright turquoise that doesn't seem something she wants, but she doesn't seem to care enough to comment about it.

"How long have you been here?" he asks next. "I thought you went to sleep."

"Longer than you." She takes a bite out of the thing and dangles it off of one finger, by its thick, curled stem. "Slept a few hours, woke up hungry. Dining room was packed. Figured I'd slip out here for a change."

The crackling of the fruit's skin being torn away is like listening to bark being chipped off a tree. "Oh," he says intelligently. "Any progress on your… you know… condition?"

"Nope." She scoops out a handful of the mushy fruit and manages to eat it without looking particularly messy. "Unless you count toying with probabilities as progress."

The empty, half-intact shell bounces to the ground. "What kinds of probabilities?"

"Honestly? Tryin' to figure the likelihood you'll kill me if I do go through with my original plan," she says.

He scoffs, "I wouldn't do that."

"Ya wouldn't?" she muses. "'Cause…"

"Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't be happy about it. But killing you over it? In what world would that be right?" he asks.

She eyes the fifteen-foot drop below her without much apprehension, swinging her legs off the end of the branch. "The one where your piety flies straight ahead of your reason and you draw your sword anyway. I can see it happen. Goddess' chosen hero, slayer of demons and fell creatures… hah. Convenient blinkers for ya."

He frowns. "What does _pie_ have to do with any of this?"

"What? No, _piety._ Like, yanno, your faith in the goddess or goddesses or whoever you worship," she explains. "You're a hero to these people, sure, but… I dunno you. All I know is, ya seem like you'd be eager to jump on a chance to stop me first opportunity ya get."

"Well… yes?" he says hesitantly. "Within reason."

She gives him a doubtful look. "Ya sure 'bout that last bit?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." She slides off the branch, ignoring his surprise, and hits the ground with a soft thud. "Depends on your perception of things though, don't it? If what you think of me changes even a little bit, ya might find you're not so keen on lettin' me go after all."

"So what?" he asks. "What are you saying?"

"What I'm sayin' – " she leans in close on the 'arm' of the bench opposite of the side he's sitting on, palms pressed flat on the wood " – is that I think you don't really believe me when I say I'm gonna go wake Ghirahim up, 'cause you think there's another way and I'm tellin' you there's not. I know you're all for finding a safe solution that doesn't involve bringing him back, but I don't got time to find it."

He's surprised to see that her pupils are vertical, like a venomous snake's. More importantly than this small fact, he doesn't quite know what to make of her sudden shift in attitude. "Right. And how do you know that it's all so necessary?"

She rolls her eyes and pushes off, muttering something he can't hear. "Told ya."

He stands to move after her, but she doesn't seem to care. "There's no way you're going – "

"Goddamn, and I thought _I_ was shortsighted."

"Wait!" he calls, and she stops mid-step, letting her leg swing back to the ground exaggeratedly. She only turns back halfway but it's enough for him to make eye contact, and she stares expectantly. "I know time may be short, but talk to Zelda. I'm positive she can figure something out for you."

She stands there a moment longer and appears to consider it. "I think she was wantin' to talk to me too but I dunno what all good it'll do… You're all just human, ain't much you can do. Well, you – maybe you're a little more capable than the rest but if you can't do anythin', what'd Zelda be able to do?"

"Yes, but that's the thing," Link says. "Zelda wants to help – although she's not the only one – and she's interested in the easiest solution too… but she's smarter than I am, so I know she'll be able to come up with _some_ kind of plan."

Ignoring the obvious jab she could make, Cherisn shrugs. "Might not be the plan you want."

"Maybe not," Link agrees, "but I don't think rushing into things is the best idea either."

She shrugs, and says doubtfully, "We'll see."

* * *

By the time he gets back to the Academy's property, Link is puzzled, and more than he'd like to admit. He stops by just long enough to check on his loftwing, who greets him happily enough, and then leaves the aviary quickly, intending to find Zelda.

As it happens, she nearly walks into him.

"Oh – sorry about that," she says, seeming rushed.

"Do you have a minute to talk?" he asks.

"Sure," she says. "Walk with me. What's up?"

He sighs. No way around this one, really. "So, last time we talked, I told you that Cherisn was going to go wake up Ghirahim to solve her problem or whatever. And you said that was smart."

"Uh-huh. He's her only other option, at least that we know of," Zelda explains. "Look, I know it must sound crazy, but… I think I might be able to make it work, even if it does come to that. I promise. How about this – how does it sound if, hypothetically speaking, we convince him to help her and seal him back up again? I'm looking into other options right now, of course, but…"

Link laughs dryly. "That would be nice, but we don't have a way of bringing him back, and we especially don't have a way of putting him back down if we do. Unless you have some sort of master plan brewing, but I don't know how. My sword's gone. I can't really help you that way."

Zelda hums to herself a little. "Plan? Sure. Master plan? Maybe not quite that far yet. But look at it this way: what was he after last time?"

"You," Link answers.

Zelda nods. "Right. So what do you think he'll be after this time?"

"Uh… I don't know. You won't exactly be useful to him," Link admits, "at least not anymore. Demise is dead. But that's no reason for him to just suddenly agree to do whatever we want. What's gotten into you?"

"Well, that's the thing," Zelda says. "I'm working on how to… how should I put this? I'm working on it. And even if everything does go poorly, it can't be as bad as last time. We sealed Demise away, and that means the demons will be getting weaker, all of them, and none of them should be coming back anytime soon unless we let them."

"So you think he'll have to do what we say?" Link wonders. "Doesn't seem like a great idea to me."

"It's not my first choice either, to be honest with you," Zelda confesses, "but it's best that we be prepared. And I'm thinking this girl, Cherisn – she might be what we need to stop things going the same way again. She's… powerful. Not, you know, right now or anything, but she can help us, I know it. But first I need her trust, and I need yours too, even if you think I sound insane, okay?"

"If you say so," Link sighs again, not sure what to make of it all. "I just…"

"You just what?" Zelda asks, and when he doesn't say anything, she slows and offers him an encouraging smile. "Look… if there's something I don't know, you know I'll want to hear it. What's up?"

"All this for her?" he asks. "One girl?"

The smile she gives him is a sad one. "I know it must seem out of hand, but if it were… if it were, say, Karane or Kest, we'd still be trying, even if… if it got bad. I know you don't trust her completely and that's okay. I wouldn't either if I were in your shoes – I know you and Ghirahim fought. I know you don't like the idea. I do. I just… want to give her a chance, like I'd give anyone a chance, and if it all goes horribly, horribly wrong, you can blame me. In the meantime though… this is what I want to work on. You'd do anything for _me,_ right, hero?"

Link nods. "Guess so."

"I…" she starts, then shakes her head. "Never mind… remind me to pick up that conversation later. Right now we need to focus on work."

"Right. So um… what is she really?" he asks. "That's what's been bugging me ever since I got a better look at her. Mostly human, you know, but the eyes are kind of creepy."

"She's a… oh, I won't bore you with all the technical jargon, but she's something called a kalsoel, and her uh… anatomy is different than ours. By a lot. I don't want to give up too much; I think it's something you'd better ask her about. But yeah, she _is_ kind of lizardy, which is pretty appropriate."

"Well, alright," Link says, satisfied with that explanation – and remembering also that Cherisn had said she'd show him herself once she'd gotten rid of her shackles. "If you need anything, I'll be around. You know where to find me. Just… don't do anything you're not prepared for, okay?"

She laughs, though not very cheerfully. "I still don't know what I did to deserve a friend like you."

* * *

When Cherisn wakes up, she notices that the light from the window is a dull orange. It's covered by thin, ornate blinds, colored blue and gray. She hadn't paid much attention to the layout of the room before other than to kick her shoes off at the foot of the bed and fall asleep, but now she looks over the place and decides that humans put a lot of effort into making their living spaces… well, livable. She can't blame them. Living outside without the ability to endure the elements properly must definitely suck.

She also notices that someone has applied some light cloth bandages to cuts she hadn't known she has. Her old, torn clothes have mysteriously disappeared, and Zelda's outfit that she's been lent to sleep in is accompanied by one more sitting on top of the nightstand, neatly folded. As far as she can tell, they're identical; the fabric is sturdy but not scratchy, and it's practical in shape, for which she's especially grateful. Brightly colored clothes have never made sense to her, so it's a good thing these new clothes are a dull brown.

Once she's out of the weird turquoise fabrics – where did these people even get the dye for that kind of stuff? – she changes clothes and leaves the shoes at the foot of the bed again.

She closes the door behind herself and walks, a little stiffly, all the way back through the hall.

When she passes an opened doorway with light spilling out, Zelda's voice says, "Could you come in here for a moment?"

Cherisn backs up, enters the room, and half-expects the Academy's headmaster to be inside. Instead it's just Zelda, sitting with three books laid out on the table. Using the other chair as a step, Cherisn sits on the table and turns to face the headmaster's daughter.

"I think I know how to get those shackles off, but first I need you to tell me how you got them in the first place," Zelda says. "Oh, and I need to know how much time you have left." Her tired eyes skim a page full of tiny words and tiny sketches.

"About a week," she answers lethargically, yawning. "I'll last maybe six days if you got any more food around. Otherwise – if I don't eat, and eat often – I'll be dead in a couple've days. Halve that time if you're talking about how long I'll be conscious and capable of physical activity. Guess I should assume you figured me out by reading books? I mean I didn't really pry earlier 'cause it seemed like you had it all figured out… but now I'm curious."

Zelda stays bent over her book a moment longer before she sits back and sighs, covering her face with her hands for a few seconds. "Yeah," she says, dropping them to the table. "I guess it's no exaggeration to say I read a lot, although I don't know everything. Here," she adds, pushing the book across the table and spinning it around so that Cherisn can see it. "It says that those shackles are of demonic origin, used for torture purposes during the war. I don't know how you found yours, but you're unlucky you did. And you're a kalsoel. I knew it the minute you walked in." She winces as she realizes how cheeky that last part had sounded, but Cherisn doesn't seem to notice.

"Well, I'm glad _someone_ in this Academy pays attention. Those bindings are meant for humans, right?" Cherisn asks. "Not kal."

Zelda nods. "In anyone else's case, those would prevent prison escapees and the like. In your case? They're lethal. And anyway, your eyes told you off. Humans generally don't have vertical pupils."

"Mm-hm." Cherisn stretches and stares up at the ceiling. "Your friend – Link, right? – found me in a cave the other night. I dug a burrow the day before to sleep in, but I didn't realize it actually went down into a stone hall thing. I followed the hallways all the way to the bottom… there were these mushrooms grown into the walls, so it wasn't hard to see, but when I got to the last room I found a little stone pedestal. Wish I'd left it alone."

"What did you find? Or what did you do?" Zelda asks.

Cherisn reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small black crystal, and tosses it Zelda's way. "Picked that thing up. That's all."

Zelda tilts the crystal and stands it up so that it catches the light; the black of its surface is offset by a vague purplish tint swirling near the edges. She frowns at it.

"Did you find that in your book?" Cherisn asks, after a moment during which Zelda is silent.

Zelda shakes her head. "No, I haven't… but listen, I think you were right to come here. I know you don't have much time left, but we won't need all of it. Do you want to help me do some last-minute research?" Zelda asks.

Cherisn gives her a helpless shrug. "Hey, I'd love to help ya out, but I can't actually read."

Zelda smiles. "Oh, that's alright. I was just thinking, if you'd answer a few questions for me, I can get started on working out a way to sneak into the temple. I used to – well – I mean, I don't really have anything anymore that could help you directly. So I think waking up Ghirahim is our best bet right now."

The kalsoel lifts her feet and drums her fingers on the tabletop as she settles her chin on her knees. "Ya seem a lot more confident about it than Link did. He was worried I'd indirectly cause everything to be destroyed, way he made it out."

"Can you blame him? He did get in Ghirahim's way quite a bit, back then. In fact, he was the only thing that stood between this world and its ruin, and it looks like that same role is something he might need to take up again. I can understand why he doesn't trust you," Zelda says. "But at the same time, I think he isn't giving you enough credit. You seem to know what you're doing. If you wake Ghirahim up and he takes your shackles off, could you put him back in the ground?"

"I could try," Cherisn mutters unhappily. "Depends on how weak he is when he wakes up. I don't know him, not really, anyway. I've only… heard stuff. Maybe I won't be strong enough. Maybe he'll be too weak from sleepin' so long. But if he's going to be the one to take these off, I'd owe him a lot."

"I understand," Zelda says quietly. "I guess I can't ask you to put your own convictions away, can I?"

Cherisn smiles faintly. "Nah. We're all hung up on something or other. S'alright if you don't want to help me. I'll take the gem back and go find 'im, maybe… maybe try to keep him off your back or something, I guess. Least I could do."

"How will you find him?" Zelda asks.

"Sense," Cherisn says, and elaborates only when Zelda gives her a confused look. "So, you surface dwellers don't like shadows and like creatures, right? Darkness and evil get muddied together a lot, at least for your senses – s'why monsters cock up your settlement so much. Ya can't take any magicky shortcuts with them around 'cause their auras are puttin' out too much interference. I sense them around all the time; it was how I've been gettin' food. Monsters are just lesser demons, ya know? But it's easier to sense monsters with more power. Like Ghirahim. He's sleepin' so his signature ain't so strong, but I can still feel it."

Zelda asks, "And where's that signal coming from?"

"Over there," Cherisn says, pointing her thumb at the western wall. "Down by the cave, but farther out, more like. About near where that old temple is. Temple's got a spring in it, maybe you know the one. Anyway, it's got a lot of, uh… dark energy, I guess you'd call it. Demonic energy. His. And the inside of the temple is mostly clean, but it's all around and there's a knot in the back, maybe close to where I found that." She points to the small crystal. "He's back there, is what I'm sayin'. No telling whether he's going to be at full strength when he wakes up."

"Right," Zelda says finally. "Well. Since those things are bound by old magic, I think that you should go have a talk with him. If anyone can convince him to do anything, you might have a chance, given your… elemental affinity, or whatever you'd call it. If Link won't accompany you, I will."

After she stares at Zelda for a little bit, Cherisn blinks. "Neither one of ya has to come."

"I know," Zelda says patiently, "but we won't have enough time to try out every other idea we come up with, and we know that this one will work."

Cherisn gives the ceiling a speculative look. "But you don't even know me," she says. "Why would ya care? Or are ya just tryin' to learn from me?"

Zelda bites her lip. "Was it that obvious?"

Cherisn waves a hand. "Oh, I don't care. Either way I'm benefitting from you, so I don't got a reason to complain. I don't mind if ya wanna ask me questions."

"It's not just that, though," Zelda says. "I'm… I was thinking… I know it really won't make up for anything, but I wanted to try and, you know, make up for my past mistakes. Ghirahim and I didn't use to be that different. I want to change that."

"You didn't?" Cherisn asks.

"Well, we both had a… a singular focus, you could call it. He still might. All I cared about till now was saving humanity. I thought that was most important. But here you are, despite that. Things can change. I want more allies on my side if I can get them. If I can't prevent another war, I want to win it before things get so desperate again. I do want to learn about you and your kind, I truly do, but first I need to grow up a little," Zelda admits. "If things had been different…"

Cherisn shakes her head. "All you can do it focus on what's right here, right now."

Zelda sighs. "I know. But I can't help but feel like we – like I – was responsible for some of the pain your people went through. Even for those of you who weren't allied with the demons, your abilities made the ancient humans think you were monsters. Your human forms were just different enough to call for… for lots of horrible things, and it's no wonder you sided with the demonic forces, since they didn't discriminate quite as much."

"Don't apologize to me," Cherisn says quietly. "I wasn't there. And anyway, you're tryin' to help me, and I'm grateful for that. I don't think that Link kid's so keen on me, and I know why, I guess. Hard to really empathize with him when his situation is so… so different. But the least I can do is try."

"You say that like you don't think you'll succeed," Zelda says.

"Heh. Guess not," Cherisn admits. "Maybe this might not work out after all. Maybe I am dooming you n' all your friends to something really horrible. But like I told him, like he probably passed on to you – I'm selfish, Zelda. So before you go regrettin' all the things ya did or didn't do, remember that you're not the only one."

"Cherisn?" Zelda asks suddenly. "How old are you?"

"Old as you think," Cherisn says as she slides off of the table and leans against it.

"No, really," Zelda says. "Your kind live a long time, I thought, so it's a little hard for me to tell…"

"We do, but I'm about as old as I look," Cherisn informs her. "So… not that old. 'Bout your age or Link's. Why's it matter?"

"Oh, it doesn't, really," Zelda says, with a vaguely miserable note in her voice. "I just… I'm sorry, alright? Sorry this is happening to you. I wish I could help more than just tagging along with you."

"You could if ya wanted, you know," Cherisn says.

"I could?" Zelda asks, looking up in surprise.

Cherisn reaches over and fingers the black gem on the table. "Sure ya can. You know how to use a sword, right? Someone might as well keep me company. I dunno if Link's sold on the idea yet. Maybe you could tell 'im, I dunno, we're out to follow a lead. He don't gotta know, does he?"

"You really think I could pull it off, though?" Zelda asks, a little nervously. "I mean, I can swing a sword well enough, but… I'm not too great. I can handle the weak monsters in the forest, but once we get all the way there? I'm… I've…"

Cherisn asks, "How long you been training with a sword? I bet you're better than you think." She hops back onto the table and sits there.

Zelda murmurs, "Since I was little. My father and Eagus used to help, but that fell by the wayside ever since the Academy went gung-ho. Since then I've been 'the headmaster's daughter' and… well, not much else. It was a little annoying sometimes, but I guess I never truly minded until now."

Cherisn smiles. "Well, I'd rather have you along than someone I dunno I can trust. Once I get these manacles off, I can cover us from there."

Zelda's expression clears. "All right," she says. "We'll go together. I could use some field experience anyway. And, um…"

"Yeah?" Cherisn asks.

"Can you really transform into a wyvern?" Zelda asks.

"Weeell _technically_ we like to call that 'shifting state,' but yeah. Same thing," Cherisn says. "Like I said, I got enough time. This'll work; it's just a matter of getting where we need to be. This place ain't far from where that sealing stone was, right? The one in the big pit that contained some monster or whatever?"

"Well, no," Zelda says, surprised. "Why do you ask?"

"Just making sure. It makes sense, don't it?" Cherisn asks. "So the most evil force in the world bubbled up from a big pit in the ground, which is where your big statue is, and then the path leading out of the village heads into the forest. Kinda idiotic design-wise if you'd ask me, but Ghirahim's around that temple, yeah? He's gonna stay there so long as this region's still a source of demonic energy, and it's gonna stay that way. Well, he's gonna stay that way mostly 'cause he ain't even awake – but you get the idea."

Zelda blinks. "How do you know all that? And why's having the statue around such a bad design? We've built the whole village around it. It worked out well in the sky."

"Yeah, but is this the sky?" Cherisn asks. "Demons came from right below you the first time. Why's any other time gonna be different?"

"So you're saying that if war breaks out again, we're centering ourselves right in the middle of a first assault, and we might not even know it's coming until it gets here," Zelda says.

Cherisn laughs. "Ya say that like the possibility ain't crossed your mind before. I guess it makes sense to you to build around it, but me? I woulda chose someplace else."

"The idea's crossed my mind before, but I never really thought of it as a concrete possibility," Zelda murmurs. "Though, in our defense, our other options are a magma-spitting volcano and a large desert. Not exactly ideal conditions for humans, if you know what I mean."

"Point taken. Guess you're fucked if ya do and fucked if ya don't," Cherisn says. "Although… I do kinda wonder how you all made it this far without any major problems."

"It wasn't easy, that's for sure," Zelda says, "but we made it. We always do. I know we'll be fine. But I need outside perspective on this 'living on the surface' thing, or else I can't build the world I want, and it's not one only for humans." Then she winces. "Ew. That sounded a little theatric."

Cherisn smiles again, faintly this time. "Heh. Don't suppose your books go into much detail then, huh? I can give you plenty if ya want. Details too. Horrific, gory details, that is… but details."

Zelda nods, and seems almost as though she wishes she had something to take notes on. "Right. Hey, uh… sorry for the sudden twenty questions. I guess I should do that after we get this resolved, shouldn't I?" She glances out the window and asks, "Well… would you like to go right now?"

"Don't make no difference to me," Cherisn says. "Guess we could just leave a note."

Zelda smiles. "I'll go and grab my things. Do you mind if I bring Merin along? My loftwing?"

"I don't care," Cherisn says. "Go ahead."

"Great. I'll meet you by the front of the statue," Zelda says.


	5. Chapter 5

**I really don't like this chapter. If you see anything I can fix, let me know. If there's something I can't fix, I'll keep it in mind for future projects.**

* * *

As promised, Zelda waits at the foot of the goddess statue, rucksack slung over her shoulder and sword in hand. She takes a moment to marvel at the starry sky and smile despite the slightly chill breeze crossing her face. This plan they're undertaking is a bit of a foolish one, to be sure, but she's eager to get started all the same. Finally, after hours of reading books and getting nowhere… she'll finally get some answers.

"Aren't you cold?" Zelda asks when Cherisn walks up.

Cherisn shrugs. "I'm used to it."

Deciding not to argue, and knowing that Cherisn is much more familiar with kalsoel physiology than she is, Zelda sets off on the path that leads out of the village. "Are you ready for this?"

"Yeah," Cherisn says. "Had it figured the minute this all started."

Zelda yawns and keeps walking, making her way over to where the aviary is. It's a new addition to the Academy; previously, loftwings just nested… well, wherever, really. "Had what figured?"

"I don't have anythin' to lose by goin'. You do. You all do," Cherisn says. "It was easy for me to choose."

"Are you still wondering why I'd bother helping you?" Zelda asks, unlatching the gate to let them both in. "I thought I already made my point."

"Ya did. It's just… some people don't bother," Cherisn says, sighing.

Zelda follows Cherisn as the kalsoel slides into the shadows. "What do you mean by that? Look, it'll be fine. We can do this, no big deal."

"I guess so," Cherisn mumbles back. "Yours is purple, right?"

"Yes…?" Zelda asks. "How'd you know?"

"What? I'm not the one been flappin' all over the place durin' the day." Cherisn stops and lets Zelda go ahead and fetch her loftwing out of the crowd of birds, some of which are asleep. At Zelda's touch, the bird wakes, croons softly, and readily bends her legs to allow Zelda to climb onto her back.

Zelda grabs Cherisn's arm and hauls her up, then grabs hold of the leather harnessing. "Well, no turning back now. No matter what happens. Don't worry about putting the rest of us in danger. The other knights can handle me being gone for a night."

"Hah. Might be more than a night, y'know," Cherisn says bleakly as they take off. "Depending on what happens. I didn't really… I mean it wasn't like I _meant_ for you all to get in this mess."

"It's fine," Zelda says. "Whatever happens, it'll be fine." They both hesitate to say anything after that and she adds, "Whatever you want to do, I'll understand. But let's talk about that when we get there, okay?"

"Sure," Cherisn says.

* * *

Link doesn't really want to go to bed. Sure, he has a minor headache, and could really use some sleep – but it's not as though he hasn't suffered worse, and anyway, he's not sure he could sleep if he tried. The Academy halls are hauntingly dark and he keeps himself awake imagining all the weird decisions Zelda might make when it comes to snooping out more information. He knows she isn't the kind of person to make _rash_ decisions, necessarily, or even uninformed decisions – no, Zelda would have none of that – but he's still pretty convinced that she'll try to do more than she can handle.

With a sigh he opens his bedroom door and swings it shut, collapsing onto his bed without bothering to strip off his gear. He turns the last thing she'd said to him over and over in his mind, scrambling for some shred of an excuse to chase away his anxiety. His eyes roam over the ceiling and he kicks one leg off the edge of the bed, prepared to lay there tangled up in his thoughts when a white paper square catches his attention.

It's nailed to the inside of the door and though the handwriting is small, it's neat enough for him to make out in the moonlight:

_Link—_

_Gone to temple. Couldn't find you to say so in person, sorry. Don't worry about us (but knowing you you'll come anyway, and that's fine). Hope you get this in time. And hope you're not too mad. But trust me when I say everything can work out. It has to._

_-Zelda._

Well, _now_ he isn't left with much choice. He plucks the note from the wood and sets it on his desk before leaving the room again, glad to have some sort of goal to focus on for once, even if it's familiar – find Zelda and keep her safe. No guarantee that he'll succeed, of course… but it's worth trying anyway. He was never far behind to begin with, and this time he may actually catch up.

* * *

The inside of the dungeon (and Zelda insists that it's a dungeon, because it's made of stone, and it's cold and dark) is about as eerie as it gets. She expects monsters to lurk around the corners. Not huge, undefeatable monsters, but monsters all the same. As the place is now, she thinks she'll be lucky to step on an earthworm.

"Why is it so empty in here?" she asks, not really expecting an answer. "You'd think this place would be crawling with all sorts of creatures. Even if they're just native Faron wildlife."

"Animals go creeping around dusty old temples with glowing mushrooms growing through the cracks in the floor?" Cherisn asks back. "Hey, can't blame 'em. Sounds pretty decent to me."

Zelda shrugs and leads them through the next hallway, trying to remember the layout of the place. "I didn't know you considered yourself an animal," she says, her tone light.

"Ain't human, that's for sure," Cherisn says cheerfully.

There's silence for a moment, and she starts to worry that she's said something insensitive. "Um, sorry. I didn't mean… "

"None taken," Cherisn says simply. "Why'd you walk past the hole in the wall a room back?"

Zelda nearly stops. "Why did I pass the what in the what?"

"I dunno. Seemed like a pretty keen shortcut to me, unless that won't get us where we're going," Cherisn says.

"I thought you were supposed to be leading, anyway," Zelda says. "Then again… something does feel… off in here. It almost makes you want to turn back and never set foot in here again."

"I hear ya. Though in my case, that 'something' is attractive," Cherisn says. "Same reason monsters'd be drawn in if it weren't so… I dunno… vague? They're just animals anyway. They're probably afraid something bigger's gonna come up outta the dark and bite 'em in two."

"How do we know that won't happen to us?" Zelda wonders. "Once we get all the way in, who knows what we'll find?"

"Heh. You're the one with the sword. I'm surprised you're the one worryin'," Cherisn says. "Ya done fine with what's come up so far, even if that amounts to… what, one baba and a couple've bats?"

"Well, thanks," Zelda says. "But I'm not actually good for much. Really."

It's hard for her to see, but she thinks Cherisn smiles in amusement. "Oh, come on. You ain't good for much? 'Cause, yeah, I'm totally gonna believe that."

Swallowing a nervous laugh, she shoves some of her hair behind her shoulders with her free hand. "I guess I get a little panicky when I don't know if I can fight off a threat. I'm not sure what would happen if… when I die. That's why I'm so focused on getting our community in good standing. I'd do it anyway, but I feel like I have to. Everyone's depending on me. I can't let them down."

Cherisn gives her a very long look after that.

Zelda starts to fidget, even as she walks. "Wh-What? What did I say?"

Cherisn shakes her head. "Nothin'. I was just thinkin', is all."

Zelda can't stop herself from asking, "Thinking about what?"

"About why you're so self-defeating," Cherisn says. "You're all smiles and confidence when ya got an audience, but when ya get in smaller company, s'like… all the walls crash to bits and ya dunno what you're doing anymore. Like you don't trust yourself."

"Oh." She laughs for real this time, and the sound is a little hollow. "I guess so. I've just got a lot to think about, is all. Too many things could go wrong. It's… complicated." She sighs. Was it even worth mentioning she used to be Hylia? "I'm okay with thinking things out ahead of time, but when I'm in the moment, trying to actually get it done? I start getting doubtful. I can't think in the middle of the action like everyone else can. I freeze up, at least for a couple of seconds."

"Your problem's not that ya can't think in the heat of the moment. It's that ya try," Cherisn observes, a little dryly. "At least that's what it sounds like. I ain't known you longer than like a day, but… sounds like ya could use a sparring partner or something."

"Are you offering?" Zelda asks. "Can you handle a sword?"

Cherisn says, "I'm kinda… well, you probably ain't noticed, but I'm pretty uncoordinated in this body. Like, I really can't fight for shit, which would make hunting difficult even if I didn't need to shift state."

"Wha – how am I supposed to spar with a wyvern, then?" Zelda asks.

"What? It ain't like I'm gonna put a hole in your gut the first time you fuck up," Cherisn says innocently. "But now that I think about it… sparrin' matches don't sound so bad. Like this, I mean."

"What makes you say that?" Zelda asks.

Cherisn admits, "Usually when I go to take a sword strike, my strategy is just… let it bounce off the armor, yanno? But if you're skin's all soft and fleshy it ain't exactly easy to just take it. Sometimes the stuff breaks anyway. Might as well figure out how to fight enemies that know what they're doin', you know?"

"Hmmm… how good are you at holding a position, though?" Zelda wonders. "If you don't have a good stance, your balance will be off."

"Ain't that what we're gonna fix?" Cherisn asks.

"Yes, but what will you do if something like this happens again?" Zelda asks. "Now that you mention it, it would be a good idea for you to learn how. You don't even have to play with a sword – "

"Swords are toys?"

" – since there are other weapons you could use," Zelda finishes, laughing a little. "All right, that was a bad choice of wording on my part, but you know what I meant. You could try the bow. I'm sure some of the other students at the Academy would be happy to help you."

"I dunno, maybe. Wouldn't it make more sense for me to do what I'm doin' now, though?" Cherisn asks. "I think we can both agree that not starving to death would be my first priority, although being able to use a weapon would help with… uh, not dyin' while I'm tryin' to do that."

"Exactly," Zelda says. "So… you want to stay at the Academy a while?"

Cherisn falls silent for a long moment. "Guess so. Not like I have any other place to go, aside from back out in the forest."

"Why don't you just stay with us, then?" Zelda asks. "If you want to, that is."

"I didn't know you were offering."

Zelda smiles. "Well, I am now!"

"Alright. You help me play with weapons and I'll try and answer your questions. Deal?" Cherisn asks.

"Deal! First though, you might want to talk to the headmasters. Or I will, since, you know, my father's _the_ headmaster," Zelda says. "I think you could benefit from actually enrolling. Although, um… there might be special accommodations you need, right?"

"Oh, don't bother with that shit," Cherisn says, waving a hand. "I'll deal."

"But – but what about dietary needs? Lighting? A room?" Zelda asks.

Cherisn grins. "This a quiz?"

"Well, I just want… I mean – if you don't mind – " she starts.

Cherisn laughs. "You know I don't give a shit about questions. Ask anything you want."

"I do?" Zelda asks.

"Now you do," Cherisn says. "I don't really need it… well, below-average light would help me not go blind, but other than that, there's not, like, anything I'm really going – "

_Creeeaaak…_

Zelda pulls out her sword and steps quickly forward.

Nothing happens for several seconds.

Cherisn stares up wonderingly at the ceiling. "Huh. Didn't know those came in black."

"What?" Zelda whispers. "What's – "

"Oh, yeah, you probably can't see the fuckers. Don't worry, they're deaf. I seen 'em before in caves. I think they just wanna sleep," Cherisn tells her. "So… let's take it slow, and try not to step on any of those little green bits poking outta the ground, yeah?"

"What are you talking about?" Zelda mumbles, unable to bring her voice above a whisper even though Cherisn is speaking normally. "I can't see anything!"

"Right. Follow me, then," Cherisn says. "And whatever ya do, don't step on the little flowers. You'll see 'em poking outta the cracks in the ground when you get near, and they'll start glowin'. Don't touch those."

Zelda sheathes her sword a little clumsily and keeps her eyes on the ground. "Right, okay… What else?"

"Dunno. Just… make sure not to move real fast. They don't like that."

"What's _they?"_ Zelda demands, her voice a hiss.

"Oh… these little bugs are sorta like keese, 'cept they nest in ceilings and stash their shit in the ground, in caves where there's water and stuff. Not their actual shit, but… you know what I mean. They're called seeper wasps," Cherisn explained. "Weird little things. Didn't know ya had 'em around here – though maybe they moved in recently."

"Wasps? Then why did the whole hallway creak like it was about to collapse?" Zelda wonders.

"Yeah, that's just the weight of their hive," Cherisn says nonchalantly.

"The _what."_

"What?"

"Those were never here before!" Zelda exclaims. "I've never even heard of them! How'd you know?"

"We had 'em all over the place back home," Cherisn says. "'Course, your maps probably don't cover everything on the surface… then again I dunno why they're here. Or how they got here. Or why it matters, since they're here anyway."

"I've been wondering those same two things about you," Zelda mutters. "But I guess that's none of my business."

"Depends," Cherisn chirps. "You wanna make it your business?"

"Well, it's not really my place, is it?" Zelda asks, all the while glancing behind them and at her feet.

"Dunno. Is it even that hard to figure out? You can probably guess how I got here. Maybe even why if ya really think about it!" Cherisn says. "But uh, seriously? Like I said, I'll answer your twenty questions. Or twenty hundred, or whatever, whenever ya like. I ain't much for keepin' secrets that I know of."

"Do you just go sharing everything with everyone?" Zelda asks.

Cherisn laughs a little. "What, you think I'm that stupid?"

"Ah – well, no, I mean…" Zelda sighs and blows away some of the hair that's fallen into her face, having come out of its ties.

"You're kinda bad at this socializing thing, aren't you?"

"Hey – ! How would you know anything about that?" Zelda demands, a little crossly.

"'Cause it's like, every time I say somethin' to the contrary of what you said, you backtrack real fast. I didn't really, um, mean to be mean though. I was smiling. But maybe ya couldn't see it."

"Well, I was keeping an eye on the floor," Zelda admits nervously, immediately before there's a small, wet crunch under her shoe.

"You were, huh?" Cherisn asks brightly, pushing Zelda forward as a slight whispering begins behind them.

"Don't push me! I can't see!" she says.

"Oh, yeah. Kinda forgot," Cherisn says. "Want a lift?"

"What do you – "

As the hissing grows louder, Cherisn mutters, "Yeah, never mind. _Have_ a lift." And then – without any warning – scoops Zelda straight off her feet and sprints to the next doorway. Awkward as her position is, Zelda's able to see a fluttering black cloud advance swiftly toward them.

She doesn't have time to be surprised that Cherisn, weak as she is, is still able to pick her up and run through the dark. They pass a glowing mushroom, and then another two clustered together, covering more distance more quickly than Zelda even thinks she would be able to do on her own. "Over there!" Zelda shouts, trying to point toward a door.

Given that Cherisn runs straight by it, she doesn't know if the kalsoel can even hear her, and she doubts that struggling her way out of the other woman's grasp and forcing them both to flop around on the floor is exactly the best strategy. Instead she tries to curl up and make her weight as least cumbersome as possible, watching the wasps with mingled fascination and nervous fear.

What feels like a minute passes, but it's really only several seconds. Zelda hears Cherisn yell something that sounds a lot like "hold your breath," so she takes a deep breath and closes a hand over her nose, not sure exactly what they're going to run into.

_SPLASHHH!_

The sound of them crashing into a pool of water is quickly muffled and replaced by the fizzing of bubbles; Zelda is vaguely aware that Cherisn's feet touch the stone bottom of the pool. The kalsoel pushes off and then shoves Zelda in a roughly upward direction, at which point she flails a little and kicks her way toward the surface.

Cherisn comes up at her side and drags her, a little ungracefully, up to the surface. They make use of a conveniently placed floating log. Zelda clutches it and pulls herself over the top so that she can take a breath, despite not having been underwater for very long at all, and starts coughing a little.

Within seconds, Cherisn is sitting next to her with a slightly concerned look on her face. "You did hold your breath, right?"

Zelda nods and hauls herself into a similar position, straddling the log so that she doesn't fall off. "Yes. I just wasn't expecting us to dive into a pool of water that's more than twice as deep as I am tall." Her voice comes out a little drier than she'd meant it to. "Besides, your lungs are probably bigger than mine."

"And I have air sacs, but I thought humans could hold their breath for like… at least a minute," Cherisn says. "Sorry. You okay?"

"I'll be fine," Zelda says and shakes her head. She's about to ask why that was necessary when little clicking sounds catch her attention, and she glances up at the walkway they leapt away from. Huge webs stretching from wall to wall are covering in shivering black beads, and she realizes that Cherisn has tricked most of the swarm into flying straight into a mess of spiderwebs; the remaining few buzz drunkenly along the walls, seeming to have lost their target.

Cherisn doesn't seem to notice what she's looking at, and appears much more interested in the wall next to them, covered in vines and leading up to a small platform where there's another stone door.

"Did you do that on purpose?" Zelda asks, and immediately wishes she had never asked such a stupid question. The resident handful of skulltulas, meanwhile, descend from the ceiling and become quite distracted by their full webs.

Cherisn glances at the middle of the room long enough to realize what's happened, and whistles. "Wow. Giant spiders live down here? I didn't know that."

"Then why'd you rush in here? You wanted to distract them, right?" Zelda asks.

"Uh, no, I was trying to get the seepers off your ass. But the distraction ain't bad," Cherisn admits. "Now we don't have to deal with either one."

"And jumping into the water accomplishes that… how?" Zelda prompts.

"Oh, that's easy. Seepers are persistent, but they're kinda stupid. They'll follow the scent of anyone who crushes their flowers and sting them to death… even if it means drowning themselves by the hundreds. They don't mind water, but they die pretty much the instant they submerge in it… although in that case you might swallow about twelve."

Zelda gags. "Thanks for that mental image."

"No problem." Cherisn turns and grabs hold of the vines behind them, pulling herself quickly up onto the platform and surveying the room. Once Zelda joins her, she asks, "Which door you wanna take?"

"Up to you." Zelda looks at Cherisn out of the corner of her eye while pretending to study the room and the quickest possible way out of it. "Those skulltulas won't stay busy forever. And anyway… how can you pick up a person and then climb up a wall? Aren't you tired?"

"Let's focus not on the 'how' but on the 'if I don't I'm fucked', alright?" Cherisn asks a little breathlessly.

"Oh. Right, sorry," Zelda says, a little miserably. "Well, since our bags got wet, the food probably did too… And we don't know how long we'll be down here. Getting all the way through could take hours; I know it did for me, last time."

Cherisn frowns. "Yeah, uh, in the interest of not doing that, let's take this door right behind us and leave the bugs behind too."

"Is that the right way?" Zelda wonders. "You still know where we're headed, right?"

"Yeah. Although you gotta wonder, since we've been in here at least a good hour already… I thought you said there were bokoblins n' things runnin' around. I ain't seen any," Cherisn says as they get up and pass through the gate.

"I don't know where they went, but I'm glad they're gone," Zelda admits. "Can you see pretty well like this? You're probably better at telling what's hiding in the shadows than I am."

"I see _great_ like this. But before we get back into chit-chatting again… mind makin' that sword of yours useful?" Cherisn asks.

Zelda looks around to see a large, serpentine creature creeping along the floor. "Staldra," she murmurs. "How about we skip that one and go on?"

"Why? They hard to kill?" Cherisn asks.

"No, just annoying," she says. "They're slow. We can run past."

"Fine with me," Cherisn says. "Let's go left this time. Looks like a staircase over there, goin' down. So hey, question for you – who built this shit?"

"I… don't know," Zelda admits as they begin to walk slowly along the wall. "I think this is actually… feels to me like it was human in origin, but later repurposed by demons. It would explain the monsters."

"Right," Cherisn says. "Let's go." She starts to run and Zelda follows; the staldra sees them both and, bless its minimal intelligence, lunges from a laughable distance. Its three heads flop onto the floor, and it quickly loses sight of them.

"Oh," Zelda says as they start to descend the stairs quickly. "Sometimes these rooms won't open up right away. Magical locks on the doors sometimes come on and you have to kill everything inside to get out."

"Sounds terrifying," Cherisn says in a tone of voice that doesn't suggest she thinks of that idea as much more than annoying. "Don't jinx it; you say that and now it'll happen." Then, after a pause, she adds, "Down here." She skips the first landing and heads straight for the second, leading them out onto a narrow platform that has a wall on one side, and a pit on the other. "Wow, they must have really wanted to trap adventurers down here and let them die. Come with the territory?"

"I guess," Zelda says, walking straight up to the large, ornate door in the center of the wall and pushing it open. "It's in here, isn't it?"

Cherisn slides in behind her and whispers, "Yeah. If you can sense it so well, it must be."

"Do you still have that thing?" Zelda asks.

"Yeah, I still got the thing."

The door swings shut behind them with a bang, and its surface glows briefly as it locks itself.

"So it was open for us to walk in, but locks itself the minute we get inside?" Cherisn asks of no one in particular. "That makes a whole lotta sense."

"Death trap," Zelda says, drawing her sword.

Cherisn grins. "Ohhh, fun. You wanna do the honors?"

"Just figure out where to put that crystal," Zelda says, "before something nasty finds us."

"Yes, ma'am."

Zelda has it in mind that stalfos are going to pop out of the floor and do their best to stab her to death, but it doesn't quite happen that way. She spends a little while standing at the edges of the room, circling around slowly with her back to the wall. The only sounds are those of her footsteps and Cherisn's, and after a moment of silence she starts to wonder what's really going on. "Hey, Cherisn," she calls.

"Yeah?"

"Where are you?" Zelda asks, biting her lip and glancing from wall to wall and then floor to ceiling. Nothing, no one. It's ridiculous of her to feel anxious now, but she can't help herself.

"Flailing around to your left." She doesn't say anything as Zelda starts to move, but then adds, "No, your other left."

As Zelda shifts direction accordingly, she finds a pervasive blackness starting to creep along the periphery of her senses. "There's something wrong here."

"Hey, no shit. Ya think I should put the little diamond into this hole shaped like a small diamond? Or is that too much like all those cliché plays where the hero fucks himself over by pokin' around where he shouldn't be?" Cherisn asks.

"Aren't we stuck here anyway?" Zelda asks. She makes it over to where Cherisn is at and nods, holding out her hand for the crystal. "Let me."

Click.

There's a pulse under her fingers followed by dark magic seeping into the cracks of the wall, and she studies the carved-out hole of where the diamond fits in. Of course she hadn't taken too close a look at the walls on her last trip here, but the space where the crystal fits looks new: well-kept and crafted, perfectly sized and everything. "Okay," she says, mostly to herself. "Guess that's it… so now we wait."

"It don't feel like anything changed," Cherisn comments, seconds before the magic blazes through the cracks in the walls, darkening everything further. "Oh," she says, deceptively cheerful. "There we go."

She opens her mouth to reply – by saying what, she has no idea – and makes a face at the magic's intensity. Even she can feel it, spilling over the floor and throbbing in the air, growing stronger. Her hands tremble as her heart rate speeds up, and her palms start to get slick and sweaty. She spins around to survey the room, and sees no one.

Cherisn leans on the wall, seeming relaxed, but it's clear to Zelda that she's ready for whatever's next. "So you mentioned those locking doors that're like, unlocked when monsters die. What was keeping that one froze up?"

"Ghirahim," Zelda manages to say.

"So we have to kill him to leave?" Cherisn asks. "'Cause if we do… nice knowin' you or whatever. I'd rather not try."

"Keep your voice down," Zelda hisses. "I don't know what – "

Another voice rings out of the dark. "Oh, you don't need to do that, children…"

_Click._

Zelda spins around and swings hard, only to find her sword caught in a gloved hand. Her eyes widen in surprise, and Ghirahim smiles mockingly as he pulls it easily from her grasp, tossing it aside. Zelda stumbles back before she sees Cherisn lifting a hand to catch it.

"Sssooo… can ya help me out here?" Cherisn asks. She examines the hilt of the sword as though disinterested in their new company.

"Cherisn, don't – " Zelda starts, feeling panicked.

Ghirahim glances over to her and gives her a look that Zelda reads as the expression he wears when he's unimpressed. It's unnervingly familiar, to say the least. "Oh, hello, little kalsoel."

Without taking her eyes off of him, Cherisn walks back to Zelda and presses the hilt of the weapon back into her hand. "Do I take that as a no?"

"Well, I suppose I could help you… but in turn you'd have to… oh, what's the phrase your kind use…?" he drawls.

"Pay ya back? Sure," she says. "Though I don't see how waking you up don't count."

"Well, let's just say that preemptive favors don't count, being as that was a deal in which I had no say, hmm?" He walks slowly around the two of them, close enough to touch either.

Zelda feels like she's about to either crawl out of her skin or vomit. The amount of energy rolling off of him is staggering. She thought he would be weakened, and this might just be for show, but part of her doesn't want to believe it. There's no way he could have gone back to being just as he always was, especially not in such a short timeframe…

"Okay," Cherisn says evenly. "What's it gonna take to convince ya?"

Ghirahim sighs and disappears again, leaving a cloud of dissipating, glimmering diamonds at Zelda's shoulder. Even though she shouldn't be, she's surprised to see him reappear inches behind Cherisn. He leans over her and cups her chin in one hand, smiling. "Let's say it's a matter of finding where your loyalties lie, shall we? I think we both know you're not really prepared to just give me any favor I ask. For instance – I'm still nursing a bit of a grudge against that irksome sky child, you see. I would very much appreciate it if you could help me deal with him."

"I'm guessin' that 'deal with' in that context translates to 'kill him', don't it?" Cherisn guesses. "And 'help' probably means 'do it for you' or some shit?" She moves away from him, or tries to, and doesn't get very far.

"Well, aren't you a clever one!" he says, obviously pleased, or at least pretending to be. "Of course, that would put quite the setback on your friend's plans for their lives together – " he gestures to Zelda " – but I'm sure that you have your priorities in order. After all, what's one of them compared to you?"

"Right. Is there literally _anything_ else on your to-do list?" Cherisn asks.

"Oh, not at the moment, I'm afraid." Ghirahim uses his free hand to bring Cherisn's wrists together and closes his fingers over them. "You see, I don't have to do anything for you, certainly not after you've freed me with the intent of simply putting me right back in the state I was – although surely you know you're much too weak to manage that."

Cherisn stares at the wall and doesn't seem to notice his fingers lightly tracing her jawline. "So those are my two options, huh? Don't seem like I'm much use to ya in either one."

"Are you suggesting you actually have much utility?" he scoffs.

"I'm thinkin' I wanna call your bluff."

"Do you now?" he whispers.

The look on her face suggests she'd stab him if she were at all capable. "There's somethin' else you need," she mutters."S'like you got a hole ya can't stop up, 'cept with somethin' important. Ya got power, but you're… ugh, I dunno, in pieces. On the inside. All over."

His grip tightens and Cherisn seems discomfited now, fidgeting again. "And how," he asks, his voice dropping into a low hiss, "would you possibly know that?"

"I dunno," Cherisn says, the strain in her voice a protest. "You're like – I – I dunno, broke or somethin' inside, like ya got a missin' piece and ain't – " She winces at first and then starts to double over for no discernible reason that Zelda can see.

"Oh," Zelda says, not knowing what else to say. "Demise…" She wonders if being torn away from Demise caused Ghirahim to lose some of his strength, but that doesn't explain why he seems as strong as ever to her, unless his physical proximity would be needed for her to feel it. She shudders at the thought and raises her sword.

Ghirahim regards her much the same as he did before. "Careful with that, divine child. Swords aren't toys."

She hesitates.

Cherisn's manacles dissolve into black smoke, and she tries to twist away from Ghirahim to no avail. "Ah-ah, not so fast," he chastises her. "I believe we had an agreement – or at least, you follow a code of honor, do you not?"

At this point, Zelda begins to notice that Cherisn is blinking back tears.

"Wh-What do you want?" the kalsoel asks, her voice bordering on a gag.

"I'm so glad you asked! Let's just say that – as you've deduced – I'm in need of a little something important… though unfortunately, getting it is another matter. I'll need your help and the brat's, though I shudder to say it." His hand slides down onto her throat and he murmurs, "My, your heart's beating fast. Could you really be so afraid of me?"

For all Zelda can tell, he looks quite delighted at the prospect, and she shakes her head in disgust before stepping forward. "I'll help you. Just let her go."

"As you wish," Ghirahim says, releasing Cherisn – she falls to her knees and groans, and he talks over her. "Although be aware that I wasn't speaking of you. He's much more capable with a sword, and other weapons. Compared to our previous encounters, you're of much less interest to me."

"Good," Link's voice snaps venomously.

"You were eavesdropping?" Ghirahim asks, sounding offended. "Why, I'm hurt – such behavior is quite uncalled for, sky child. In fact – "

He doesn't get a chance to finish that sentence as Link's sword sweeps through the air, striking Ghirahim in the side without doing any damage to him.

"You've slashed my _coat,"_ Ghirahim seethes.

Link steps out of the corner he'd been standing in and glances apprehensively at his opponent's lack of a wound, but settles himself into a battle-ready stance. "Too bad, so sad."

"How did you know we were here?" Zelda asks. "Where were you?"

His glance flits to her for only a second. "Is now really the best time, Zelda?"

Her hands settle gently on Cherisn's shoulders, and she shakes her a little. "Hey. Hey, are you all right?"

Cherisn's response is to curl into a ball and cover her face with her hands. "Oh, god, I feel like I'm gonna _die."_

Ghirahim sighs and spreads his arms in a theatrical gesture. "Much as I'd like to toy with you, sky child, there are more pressing matters at hand than our mutual distaste for one another. Killing you doesn't mesh very well with the fact that I need you to do me a little favor, hm? It's the least you could do for all those times I spared you."

Zelda is unsettled by the prickling sensation that meets her fingers, and she snaps at Ghirahim, "What's wrong with her? What did you _do?"_

Keeping his eyes on Link, Ghirahim murmurs, "I'm surprised you've not figured it out yourself. Did the darling little duamorph not tell you she thrives on dark energy? My own magic is much the same as her power, but despite the similarities… she can't quite handle it as well. I think I may have given her a bit too much to handle – how thoughtless of me."

Zelda springs off of the ground, sword at the ready, and faces Ghirahim with the angriest glare she can muster.

"Oh, please. You've only half the skill – if that – of your hero – " he says the word in the same manner that he would touch something repulsive " – and even he, sadly, has never been up to facing me."

"How… do you know…?" Cherisn gasps.

"Ah, yes," Ghirahim says. "Well! I believe that before I tell you anything, or save your pitiful life, you ought to first honor your… mm, debt, shall we call it?"

Cherisn's fingers find her temples, and she grips her head with both hands. "Fine… I'll… help you…"

"Splendid!" Ghirahim disappears and predictably reappears near Cherisn; a quick touch of his hand on her arm seems to release whatever magic he'd used on her.

Link takes the opportunity to slash at Ghirahim's back, but the demon teleports just in time for –

_Crunch._

Cherisn doesn't even shriek as the blade finds a place to bite into her back, but a broken sob escapes her throat. "You _asshole."_

"Link!" Zelda shrieks.

Ghirahim shakes his head and lowers his face into one palm, sighing, "Sky child, you shouldn't have done that."

Link reaches into his ever-present leather bag and throws a small vial to Zelda. "Give her that."

"It won't work," Ghirahim says disapprovingly. "In case you hadn't noticed, sky child, I'm not here to fight you, so why don't you put your sword down before you go hurting anyone else?"

"I can't trust you," Link spits. "Why should I? Cherisn seemed pretty eager to help you, but I'd never even think about it."

"F-For fuck's sake, do you ever even pay attention?" Cherisn hisses. "What was I supposed to do, _die?"_

Zelda offers her the potion. "Here."

Cherisn shakes her head, wiping her face and sitting up. "Ghirahim's right. That's human medicine. If I wasn't already ready to throw up, I would be if I took that."

"I see someone's got a little sense," Ghirahim observes. "Well, sky child? Your options are to either wise up like her, or risk losing quite a bit. If I were you, I'd choose quickly."

"But you still need that wound taken care of," Zelda says to Cherisn.

"It'll be fine," Cherisn mutters. "Just… just need some water to clean it off."

"It could get infected," Zelda says. "Don't you need some kind of medicine?"

"I don't heal any faster than you, but kalsoel don't really harbor parasites," Cherisn explains wearily. "Well, we do – I could get sick just as easily as you, but for different reasons, I guess. Just don't worry about it, alright?"

Zelda nods. "I trust you."

Link makes a noise of disgust and slowly sheathes his sword. "Fine. But if this errand turns out to be something that – "

"You'll kill me?" Ghirahim suggests, looking bored.

"Yes, actually," Link snarls.

"Ya know, I wasn't actually expecting you to give up so quick," Cherisn mutters, not seeming to care whether Link can hear her. She takes a deep, shuddering breath, and puts a hand against her forehead as she very slowly adjusts her position. "Maybe ya do got some brains after all."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you," Ghirahim says tersely. "Shall we then?"

Cherisn stands and does her best to shrug the past several minutes off. "Where we goin'?"

"And why?" Link adds.

"Patience, children. I will explain on the way there if you must know. Oh, and you might want to make your way out of here as soon as possible," Ghirahim says to Zelda. "They'll be looking for you before long."

Link smirks. "Fenres is in the spring, Zelda, so he'll give you a lift back."

Zelda smiles. "Great. He's all better?"

"Yes, fortunately."

"You're welcome," Cherisn says irritably.

"Link… just remember who the real enemy is, all right?" Zelda asks.

"I heard that," Ghirahim says, feigning injury.

Link half-smiles. "I'll try."

"Good luck," Zelda whispers as she squeezes Cherisn's shoulder, and runs out the opposite door. It closes behind her.

"Who're they?" Cherisn asks once she's gone.

"No matter," Ghirahim answers dismissively. "We haven't much time ourselves. In the interest in saving some of it…" Before either of them can protest, he grabs onto Link and loops his elbow through Cherisn's.

_Click._


	6. Chapter 6

**An important heads-up to any readers:**** I may be moving this story to a platform in the future. If or when that happens I will post a note in my profile on this site and show you where I put it so you can keep following along if you like. Additionally, I'll always post relevant announcements on my profile, so check there or PM if you have questions! (I don't like long author notes, so everything you'd expect here will be there.)**

* * *

When it becomes clear to him that Ghirahim is being serious, Link takes his time getting up to follow. He half expects the demon to teleport them both to a more private location, even though he isn't sure what kind of information would be necessary to be kept just between the two of them. Then again, if Cherisn is going to sleep, maybe Ghirahim thinks it best not to disturb her.

His worn boots scuffing across the ground and the quiet crunch of pebbles beneath his toes are the only sounds he hears for a while. He glances down and notices that the leather is cracking apart in places; tiny, insignificant cracks, but cracks nonetheless. He suspects he'll need to replace them once he gets back home. It's not something he should actually be worried about right now, and he knows that, but he keeps grasping for something to keep his mind off of recent events. Too much has happened to quickly, and all he cares about right now is making sure that everyone he cares about is safe.

He loses himself in these thoughts so quickly that he's startled to hear Ghirahim ask, "Tell me, sky child, how much do you know about darling little Cherisn?"

Link doesn't answer for a long while, and he isn't sure how he can provide Ghirahim with any information that the demon wouldn't already have. "Not much," he admits. "Just what she's told me, what I've seen, and what I heard from Zelda. Mostly the obvious details. Why do you care?"

Ghirahim keeps walking, and leads him down into a small, tunnel-like cave, but stops once he seems satisfied that they won't be overheard. "I suppose what I should have asked instead was your opinion of her. Answer me this: how do you think you would manage fighting with her?"

He shifts his weight around on his feet and finds a wall to settle against. The stone is gray and gritty; little bits of sand-like particles come off when he brushes a gloved hand over it. "Fine, I guess."

Ghirahim raises a brow. "You guess or you know? This is something important. If you can't handle it – "

Link quickly raises both hands. "I can handle it. I was just thinking that she'll be dead weight if she gets trapped in human form again. Either way, she seems like she has limited choices, especially if she can't talk as a wyvern."

Ghirahim scoffs, "Oh. Are you going to be holding a conversation with her while you're cutting down your enemies? Don't assume this venture will go smoothly for us. If the two of you won't function at your best, it will only make things more difficult in the end."

"Well, obviously," Link says, irritated. "I just find it difficult to work with someone I barely know. I'm going to need to know her form, her range, everything she can do on the battlefield before we can work together, and she's going to need to know the same things about me."

"She may know a fair amount already," Ghirahim points out. "Putting it into practice, however, would serve to speed things along much more efficiently than simply talking about it, don't you think?"

"Are you suggesting we spar?" Link asks.

Ghirahim leans against the opposite wall and seems to consider that question. "Well, I suppose if you think that would be best. Just remember not to go easy on her."

"Why wouldn't I? It would be a match," Link protests. "Not a fight. I don't want to, I don't know, shatter a couple of her ribs or something. But do we really have time for that? I thought you were in a hurry."

At this point Ghirahim seems suddenly confused. "Now, wait a moment. Are you underestimating the lizard or the girl? Because if anyone's going to end up a pulpy red smear in the dirt, it certainly wouldn't be her."

"I'm not underestimating her," Link snaps. "I'm just saying I don't think it's worthwhile for us to fight each other when we could learn on the fly, while we're fighting whatever crosses our path. I'm a quick study."

"What would happen if, for instance, you cross something that neither of you can deal with without the other?" Ghirahim suggests. "Don't suppose that it will be 'easy enough' the first few times, 'hero.' I won't always be around to save your pitiful life – and even if I were, what's to say that I might not think doing so is worth it?"

"Why'd you bring us out here then?" Link sighs. "I don't know what you need either of us for, but you'd better tell me what it is."

Suddenly seeming interested, Ghirahim leans forward and flattens his hands over a spire of rock jutting out from the ground, and lays his chin overtop of his fingers. "Or what? You'll run away? Where? You don't even know where you are."

He makes a small noise of disgust and shakes his head. "I'm not going to fight blind. I need to know what I'm after so that I can actually do what you want me to."

"You say that like it isn't a noble pursuit," Ghirahim comments, feigning a wounded tone of voice. "And as though you don't have reservations about it, and I think we both know that you do. Although, tell me something. You do realize that I will need, in one form or another, your trust? Eventually?"

Link stops and stares momentarily, affronted. "What makes you think that?"

Ghirahim sighs and straightens up, brushing some imaginary dust from his gloves. Then he looks at them, snaps his fingers, and they shatter into tiny white diamonds. His fingers are black, with smoky, grayish cracks criss-crossing their way up to his wrists. If Link stares hard enough, he's sure their color is slowly gaining in intensity. "Because, sky child, if I didn't need either of you, I would never have bothered with convincing either of you to come along. Unfortunately, that darling girl gave me a new problem when she solved the one I had previously, and it's something that I have roughly as much power to solve on my lonesome."

Link watches the black markings on the demon's skin with a small amount of fascination. They soon blacken completely and begin crawling up his arms, stopping a few inches short of Ghirahim's elbows. "You're…" he starts, and has no clue how to finish that sentence. He recalls Cherisn saying something in Skyview about Ghirahim being… what was it? Broken? "Were you running out of time too?" he blurts out, thinking back to how Ghirahim had changed over the course of their overly numerous encounters.

Ghirahim tilts his head as though he hasn't heard or understood the question. "Hmm?"

"Nothing," Link mutters.

"If you're assuming that back then, I was dealing with the same type of hardship that she was until recently, you're mistaken," Ghirahim informs him after a moment. "Rest assured this predicament of mine is not something so trifling – this plague is of a rather unique sort, and I'd very much like to see it solved as soon as possible."

"Plague?" Link repeats, utterly confused. "Starving to death is a trifling matter?"

"Oh, dear," Ghirahim murmurs. "It seems I've said rather a lot."

Link starts to open his mouth and ask, "But you've hardly – "

Ghirahim shakes his head. "Enough of that. I believe we've gotten off track, haven't we? Little thanks to you, naturally. Have you noticed that? You're distracting. Annoying, even, endlessly so."

Link rolls his eyes. "Guess you better find a way to put up with me then."

"Indeed," Ghirahim hums, seeming none too troubled by the prospect. "So, what I am to understand is that you will work alongside Cherisn, personal feelings aside?"

"I don't hate her," Link argues.

"Don't you?" Ghirahim asks, apparently surprised. "It seems to me like you're not very happy at all about that little stunt she pulled back in the temple!" Then, before Link can launch a counter argument, he adds, "You're a terrible liar, sky child. In case you weren't aware, which I doubt you'd be."

"Well, yes, but there's nothing I can do about it now, so I'll go ahead and move on," Link says calmly.

"Pah. Easier said than done, naturally." Ghirahim glances outside and watches the sun slowly rise into the sky. "You'll begrudge her this for a long time, won't you? Oh, don't give me that look. If only she hadn't gone poking into the ruins near the temple, none of this would have happened. Is that what you're thinking?"

"Yes, but I don't see how it's relevant now," Link says, vaguely surprised that he's managed to get out a complete thought without being interrupted, and pleased with himself that his tone of voice is pretty neutral.

"Truth be told, that little artifact she found… you saw it, didn't you? Surely you're not dense enough to know what would have happened if one of you humans had stumbled across it," Ghirahim says.

Link stares at him in confusion. "What?"

"You are, without doubt, more dense than that divine child who couldn't protect herself if her life depended on it," Ghirahim groans. "Surely then you saw her shackles, at the very least?"

Link folds his arms over his chest. "I don't see where this is going."

"Oh, of course you don't," Ghirahim mutters, so low as to be nearly inaudible. "Well, let this be the least of it: she acquired a small crystal, brimming with demonic magic, and that action resulted in the manifestation of her shackles. Had you picked it up, or any one of your friends, the object would have killed you outright. It's meant to be handled by someone who has the ability to use it properly, mind you. The girl was so kind as to bring it to me, naively hoping that I would help her in turn, and… well, you know the rest. I at least have the grace to attempt not to bore you as much as you have me."

"You make it sound like we would have had some interest in the thing to begin with." Accusing Ghirahim of things he doesn't know for sure might not be Link's brightest move, but at the very least, he knows that nothing bad will come of it in situations like this. There's nothing Ghirahim can really do about it, and that at least gives him some small amount of satisfaction. "We would have never touched it, but I guess I can see why she found it worthy of picking up."

Ghirahim sighs. "There you go again, assuming things you oughtn't be! What makes you think she wants to help me any more than you do? If you keep telling yourself she's your enemy, you'll never get anywhere. You do know that, yes?"

"What makes you think I won't just walk away here?" Link asks. "I might never get anywhere, but if you want to convince me to stick around, you'll need to try harder than that."

"Oh, I know you will, so that's not truly my concern," Ghirahim says, with complete confidence. "What I'm concerned about is your utterly and shockingly narrow-minded view of the world."

Link is slowly beginning to want to punch him in the face. "Narrow-minded? How about your own?"

"My, my, you're judgmental. I suppose it's a good thing you never opened up your mouth much in the past. I would have had no reason _not_ to kill you," Ghirahim says. "Well, I don't suppose talking at you would solve that little dilemma of yours. Why don't you see for yourself?"

Before Link can respond, Ghirahim warps himself away, obviously wanting him to think that question over. He doesn't do it for long; he's not sure what Ghirahim wants him to see, exactly, and even if he could, he doubts he'd agree with it. The only outcome of helping Ghirahim do anything is that Ghirahim repeats his earlier behaviors… although if he can't revive Demise, Link isn't really sure what he's going to be after. Whatever he's talking about right now, this current goal is something that Link can only assume is a temporary but important one. He can't see any other reason why Ghirahim would be badgering him so much.

* * *

Blissfully asleep on the rocky earth, Cherisn doesn't have any clue that the attack is coming until it happens.

Naturally her entire body reacts before her mind can catch up; her tail curls toward the rest of her and she tries to roll onto her feet, given that she's lounging half on her side. There isn't time to process why her legs won't move until they fold underneath her, and she flops unceremoniously to the ground. Her hind left leg is still free, though, and she lashes out with all the force she can muster.

The kick lands with a solid, satisfying THUMP onto something or other, she draws her claws in, and something wet, warm, and sticky slips between her scaly toes. The muscles contract harder.

A furry foot slams into her face, and there's a tiny moment during which she feels the skin between her nostrils tear. The pain sets in before it's done, and she's about to open her mouth to retaliate when the weight pressing on her becomes suddenly unbearable, and there's a panicked instant during which she wonders where it even came from.

Then it slides off, scrabbling for balance, and as she moves onto her feet she notices that it's a juvenile manticore.

How cute.

Judging by the way its skin clings to its sides, the beast is in no shape to be hunting – though then again neither is _she_ – but that doesn't stop it, of course. It leaps forward with a roar and tackles her by the shoulder, its huge paws ripping at the socket of her wing, seemingly intent on tearing the entire thing off and carrying it away as a meager dinner.

Well, this wouldn't be the first time her food has fought back. She curls her toes and jams a foreleg into its face, trying to slash its vulnerable nose. It closes its mouth over the joint of her ankle instead and she promptly rips its jawline open with her other foot to make it let go, and it does, for the moment.

Then _Link_ of all people shows up – and things go from bad to undeniably so much worse.

* * *

Zelda spends the ride home alternately holding her breath and sighing hugely, unable to get there fast enough yet being anxious about what she might see. Maybe it's just the breezy cold, but her skin prickles at each new sensation, and her trembling fingers and unfocused mind scream worries of demons come out to play from the shadows. Of course the knights of Skyloft – well, formerly of Skyloft, she reminds herself now – will do their best to defend their home, and nothing too catastrophic could have happened in such a short time.

When she arrives the sleepy town is quiet as can be, though the silence only serves to make her worry more than worry's due. She signals Fenres to land on the outskirts of the village and from there he runs between buildings, red feathers warm and rustling still from the wind. They come to a hasty stop outside the Academy and she disengages herself from the harness with a little trouble, managing at least to land on her own two feet.

Forcing the heavy front doors open with as much speed as she can muster, she's surprised to find Pipit not far away in the hall.

He smiles to greet her when she walks in and barely remembers to close the doors behind her, but frowns when he notices she's alone. "Where's… everyone else?" he asks.

She shakes her head and wonders what the best explanation will be. "Gone, for now," she says, and adds, "we might have some company in a little bit, we ran into trouble at the temple, so just – keep an eye out, let people know, check in with the graduates, you know the drill."

The crease in his forehead deepens and she knows he wants more details, but she doesn't have time.

"You remember the bats and whatever we used to get around here? More of those, only I guess bigger and meaner. Whatever kinds of demons this forest has I guess it's going to throw them at us now that we've had our little, uh… adventure or whatever you want to call it."

"Where's Link?" Pipit asks next.

"Busy," Zelda answers smoothly. "So is Cherisn, but I think we can handle a few monsters, given we have everyone at the Academy… honestly, if you ask me, I think those two got the worst of it." At Pipit's darkening expression she adds, "Oh, come on – you know Link at least, he's dealt with this kind of thing long enough. I bet he's already on his way back," she lies. Realizing she's out of things to say or excuses to give, she runs a hand through her tangled golden hair and pulls apart some of the knots.

"Sure, okay," Pipit says with only a little hesitation. "I'll let the watch know. Think they can handle whatever comes at us?"

"Probably," she says, instead of 'I hope so.' The thought strikes her that it would definitely be helpful to have their best fighter back, but… there's no telling whether Link's even coming back, and no one but her has a chance of sniffing him out. "I should go, anyway; the sooner I can track him down the better. Knowing him, he'll want to get to the bottom of all this, and he'll want to do it alone too… Best he has someone familiar to do it with."

Pipit laughs even though he doesn't seem all that amused. "Leaving again so soon? Although, you know Link better than anyone – you'll be able to find him, if no one else can. Just… make sure both of you come back in one piece, alright? Last thing we need's a repeat of what happened back then."

She's pleased to find that her smile isn't entirely forced. "Well, you know me; always keeping the kid in line," she jokes, not pausing to consider the deeper and ultimately truer meaning of those words. "Thanks, though. I'm sure the nighttime patrol is already keeping a good enough eye on the shadows, but… just in case. Couldn't hurt, right?"

"Not much different than any time in the past," he agrees. "You need anything before you go?"

Zelda shakes her head. "I've got some supplies already, just gonna throw them in a bag. Miren has some too."

"Well, take care," Pipit says as he heads out the door.

"You, too," Zelda says automatically, though she's not sure which of them is going to need the advice more.

But first things first: finding those history books and finishing them if it kills her – even if she has to… do a little convincing – she doesn't like to think of herself as a manipulative person even though on some level, she knows she is one – knowledge is power, after all, and Zelda's not just going to let an advantage like that slip through her fingers.


End file.
